Anna N

Pick of the Week: My Neighbor Seki

January 12, 2015 by Ash Brown, Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, MJ and Anna N 1 Comment

ASH: There may not be many manga shipping out this week, but one of those volumes just so happens to be the debut of a series that I’m particularly looking forwad to–My Neighbor Seki. If I recall correctly, Vertical was initially planning on releasing “best of” collections, but happily plans changed and we should get to see the entire series. The anime adaptation was marvelous, so I’m very glad to get a chance to read the original manga.

SEAN: SekiSekiSekiSekiSekiSekiSeki…

MICHELLE: Couldn’t have said it better myself, Sean.

MJ: I’m in complete agreement with everyone here. Seki all the way.

ANNA: I have to agree with everyone! Seki sounds like the most interesting title by far shipping this week.

What looks good to you this week?

Manga the Week of 1/14

January 8, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Michelle Smith, MJ and Anna N 2 Comments

SEAN: In between two fairly hefty weeks, we have a low number of titles out this week. Let’s take them one by one.

Kodansha has a 6th volume of its shonen fantasy The Seven Deadly Sins.

Vertical has a debut I’ve been waiting for ever since it was announced: My Neighbor Seki, from Media Factory’s Comic Flapper. The story of a girl who is constantly distracted in class by her next-desk neighbor’s attempts to… well, revealing more would spoil the surprise. It’s been nominated for awards, it’s had an anime, and it is really, really funny. Absolutely one to watch out for.

ASH: I’ve been really looking forward to this debut! The anime adaptation was absolutely delightful.

MICHELLE: I didn’t have this on my radar at all and then Vertical kindly sent me a copy. Researching it yielded cautious optimism and now I’m downright eager.

MJ: I am so ready for this.

ANNA: I also didn’t have this on my radar before, but it sounds interesting!

SEAN: Lastly, there’s a 53rd volume of Case Closed, and Shinichi… sorry, Jimmy… is still a kid.

MICHELLE: I have occasionally dabbled in Case Closed and found it entertaining enough, but I just can’t get excited about it.

SEAN: What (Seki) will you be buying (Seki) next week? (hint: Seki.)

Bookshelf Briefs 1/5/15

January 5, 2015 by Michelle Smith, Sean Gaffney and Anna N Leave a Comment

This week, Michelle, Sean, & Anna look at recent releases from Seven Seas, Viz Media, Kodansha Comics, and Vertical Comics.

D-Frag!, Vol. 3 | By Tomoya Haruno | Seven Seas – That’s a new character on the cover, and she has potential to be a new harem member, but I think that may end up, as always, taking a back seat to the comedy. Funabori liking Kazama is not as important as Funabori dressing up in a nurse outfit with wings just because she was asked. Likewise, Takao may also have a crush on Kazama, but the jokes still stem from her inability to speak her mind and her large chest, which becomes weaponized here. As for Kazama, he’s made it clear what kind of girls he likes – strong girls who win fights. This is why the tournament arc ends with Kazama vs. Shibasaki – it leads to the most drama AND the most comedy. D-Frag! continues to be hilarious, and a great read.-Sean Gaffney

Knights of Sidonia, Vol. 12 | By Tsutomu Nihei | Vertical Comics – By the end of volume eleven, Knights of Sidonia was starting to feel a bit like “Love Hina in space,” but happily, the focus shifts in this installment from all the females (not necessarily human) who fancy Nagate to a mission to test the capabilities of Sidonia’s new defense cruiser, “Mizuki.” One of the things I really love about this series is the way in which some of said females are proving themselves to be awesome—Izana’s bravery and quick thinking recently resulted in a promotion, and here it’s Yuhata’s turn, as she impressively pilots the cruiser and takes out a cluster ship. I still fear for these characters’ lives constantly—I confess that before I even began the volume I flipped to the end to make sure Tsumugi was okay—so it is wonderful to see them make a bit of headway against their enemy. Ever so highly recommended. – Michelle Smith

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 9 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – Six months have passed since the battle in Balbadd and Aladdin, Alibaba, and Morgiana are recuperating and training on the island nation of Sindria, where Sinbad is king. And, really, that’s kind of all this volume is—training and learning more about magic and Sindria—and yet it’s still interesting and entertaining. Aladdin and Alibaba each acquire a teacher to help hone their abilities, and while Morgiana does as well, she’s also in a position to augment her already impressive strength courtesy of Alibaba’s djinn, which shares its power with members of his household. For that, she needs a vessel, and for that, she chooses her old slave shackles, choosing to see them now as “a proud symbol of my gratitude.” Next, they’re off to a dungeon to activate her vessel. So, essentially this arc is, like, “Let’s help the badass girl get even more awesome.” I’m down with that! – Michelle Smith

My Love Story!, Vol. 3 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | Viz Media – My Love Story! continues to be consistently heartwarming and hilarious. Takeo’s unconventional romance with Yamato hits some additional milestones in this book as they get lost while hiking and endure an extremely shy trip to the beach with classmates.Takeo and Yamato also take Sunakawa out for his birthday, where they fall over each other in making sure that their friend is having a good time. Sunakawa’s stoic responses contrast with the over to top eager to please mannerisms of the unlikely couple. When Yamato and Takeo study together at his house, his mom reacts in classic fashion to meeting her son’s girlfriend for the first time, as her careful deadpan expression doesn’t hide her enthusiasm in the slightest. I always look forward to this quirky shoujo manga. – Anna N

Say “I Love You”, Vol. 5 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – Poor communication isn’t fixed overnight, and Mei is lucky that in this volume she gains an ally as well as a strong enemy. Megumi started to show her true colors in the prior volume, but here she goes into full-on evil mode, intent on removing Mei not just from Yamato’s orbit but everyone else she’s now friends with. That said, just like the rest of the cast, Megumi’s backstory seems to hint greater depth is coming besides “I’m the standard evil rival”. This manga’s strength is in showing off the way that its characters think and how they got to be the way they were – and in turn, how it leads to stronger bonds. This has rapidly become one of my favorite shoujo manga. Absolutely recommended. – Sean Gaffney

What Did You Eat Yesterday, Vol. 6 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | Vertical Comics – As tasty as the food looks in this volume (at one point inspiring a serious case of gyoza envy), I most love how Yoshinaga-sensei uses meals and shopping to convey how Shiro and Kenji feel about each other. Both guys cook to cheer the other up, whether it’s Shiro trying to get Kenji to quit apologizing for his jealousy or Kenji trying to help Shiro get over a disappointing verdict at trial, but it’s also revealed that Shiro is so intensely frugal because Kenji isn’t, and he wants to have enough saved for the both of them. And then, once he sees how much Kenji loves having bento in the park, he relaxes his stance on being seen together in public. Never before has two guys going out grocery shopping been so significant! Can I end a review with a <3? – Michelle Smith

Pick of the Week: Drug & Drop & more

January 5, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ 1 Comment

SEAN: Meteor Prince looks fun, and there’s lots of my favorites out. That said, I suspect this week will be a landslide, and who am I to get in its way? Drug & Drop is the continuations of fan favorite Legal Drug after a 10-year absence. The characters look prettier, the plot looks heavier, the crossovers to other CLAMP works are stronger, and the BL tease is, of course, off the charts. Also, Legal Drug was very well-written. If you liked xxxHOLIC but wish Watanuki and Doumeki were gayer, this is the title for you!

MICHELLE: I still love My Love Story!! with all my being, but even so, I am going to have to pick Drug & Drop, too. It’s just been so long in coming, and at least something that was left hanging is getting continued.

ASH: While I’ll definitely be reading Drug & Drop, my love for My Love Story!! will not be denied. One of my favorite shoujo series to debut last year, I’m looking forward to reading even more of it if for no other reason than the manga simply makes me incredibly happy.

ANNA: There are so many great manga out that I want to pick! But I am forever distracted by the lure of the new, so I’m going to have to go with Meteor Prince just because the premise is so ridiculous.

MJ: I’m sure there are plenty of perfectly lovely titles coming out this week, but the truth is, I can’t see anything but Drug & Drop. I was a fan of Legal Drug, but even more than that, I’m a fan of abandoned CLAMP titles coming back to life. Drug & Drop stands not only as an exiting title in its own right, but also as a beacon of hope for fans of X, or really any abandoned series from anyone, in my view. My point is, IT CAN BE DONE. With the right publisher, it can be done. So let’s hear it for Drug & Drop! PS: For the record, if you didn’t think Watanuki and Doumeki were gay, I don’t know what series you were reading. ;)

What looks good to you this week?

Manga the Week of 1/7

January 1, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ 4 Comments

SEAN: January is a relatively quiet month for manga, usually, and this is a quieter first week of the month, though you might not guess it by the large number of titles coming out way. It’s COMPARATIVELY smaller.

CLAMP fans have been waiting for this one forever, and it’s finally here. The first volume of Drug & Drop comes out next week. The sequel to Legal Drug, which ran in the shoujo magazine Asuka, this runs in Young Ace, a seinen title. Despite that, I suspect the audience is still the same: CLAMP fans. Expect crossovers.

MICHELLE: *Kermit flailing*

ASH: Looking forward to seeing where things go!

ANNA: Yay!

MJ: This, this, this, this, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ME. Yes.

SEAN: There’s also a 7th omnibus of Lone Wolf & Cub.

ASH: I’m really enjoying the omnibus edition of this series.

SEAN: Digital Manga Publishing has a pile of new titles. KinokoInu – Mushroom Pup looks adorable, and its 2nd volume ships next week.

ASH: I was pleasantly surprised by the first volume of Mushroom Pup, but then I like quirky manga.

SEAN: The third volume of Lovephobia is not something I’d call adorable based on its cover, but hey, the inside might prove me wrong. (For the record, the series runs in ‘Comic B’s Log Kyun!’. I’m always wary of magazines with onomatopoeic sounds in their name.)

And A Waltz in the Clinic, which is the sequel to A Murmur of the Heart, seems to have sensuous hand-licking, judging by the cover.

Alice in the Country of Clover gives us The Lizard Aide, which I believe is the first volume in this series to have Gray as the love interest. So, Gray fans, this is for you! Sadly, the artist is the same one as the Nightmare Trilogy, so don’t read it for the prettiness.

Girls Und Panzer has taken its tankery games to much higher stakes with Volume 3, as Miho now faces expulsion from her family if she loses. How will she fare? And what will Yukari do, given she’s the ‘star’ of the manga series?

Strike Witches begins a new tie-in series with the first volume of One-Winged Witches. I’m trying not to be critical, but even its FANS say this 2-volume manga series is for lovers of panties and that’s about it.

Viz has a smaller but robust set of shonen and shoujo for us. 07-GHOST trundles along with Volume 14. There seems to be a woman on the cover! Wait, 07-GHOST has women in the cast? :)

MJ: Heh.

SEAN: Bleach and Naruto both have their 10th 3-in-1 omnibuses out next week.

Jaco the Galactic Patrolman is a one-shot manga from the creator of Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump! I’m not sure if it was always meant to be this short, but in any case, more Toriyama is always nice to see, especially when he’s funny, as he seems to be here.

MICHELLE: I have yet to read Dragon Ball, and Dr. Slump! wasn’t my thing, but I have quite enjoyed Toriyama’s one-shots (especially COWA!), so I’m looking forward to this one a lot!

ASH: Oh, COWA! That was a delightful manga.

SEAN: Kiss of the Rose Princess has a 2nd volume. I thought the first was goofy fun, but a bit slight. Can it grab me further with this one?

MICHELLE: I am wondering that myself.

ANNA: It is fun, but I agree about the first volume being on the slight side. Still, nothing wrong with shoujo brain candy!

SEAN: Viz’s new shoujo debut is Meteor Prince, by Meca Tanaka. it’s another short one, only two volumes, and is likely far more acceptable than the student/teacher romance of her more famous series Faster Than A Kiss. Old-school fans will also recognize her as the author of Omukae Desu and Pearl Pink.

MICHELLE: Wow, what a premise on this one. “It’s hardly surprising then that a naked alien prince falls from the sky to tell her that out of all the girls in the universe, he’s come to Earth to mate with her.”

ANNA: OK, that sounds hilarious.

MJ: Agreed. Like, Moon Child hilarious.

SEAN: My Love Story!! was one of the most exciting releases of 2014, and the start of 2015 sees its 3rd volume. Will our lead couple progress in their romance, or is shyness the order of the day? (I can take an educated guess…)

MICHELLE: <3 <3 <3

ASH: Love this series so much!!

ANNA: Agreed!

SEAN: Nisekoi continues to be one of the better harem series I’ve seen in ages, and I am greatly looking forward to the 7th volume (which, yes, has been out digitally since March of last year).

And there’s One Piece, with its 73rd (!) volume. The last cliffhanger promised Rebecca would have a moment of awesome, but I admit I’m skeptical. Perhaps more important to its Western fans, will Doflamingo and Law square off?

MICHELLE: In the most recent volume of Magi, there’s a scene of happy islanders feasting on a giant sea monster and man, that made me crave more One Piece like whoa. I’m glad I won’t have to wait too long.

SEAN: I tend to skip the endless Pokemon releases when I talk about manga here, so I will guiltily note that we see the 26th Pokemon Adventures ship next week, along with the 6th Black and White volume.

Lastly, there’s a 6th Ranma 1/2 omnibus, and a new semi-regular, as Kuno and Kodachi’s father returns from an extended vacation, and he’s just as bad if not worse than his offspring.

What are you starting off the year with?

Bringing the Drama: Master’s Sun

December 31, 2014 by Anna N, Nancy Thistlethwaite, Eva Volin and Emily Snodgrass Leave a Comment

ANNA: Master’s Sun is a drama from the nearly always excellent writing team of the Hong Sisters, who brought the world the beloved shows You’re Beautiful and The Greatest Love among others. Master’s Sun is the story of an incredibly sleep-deprived woman who sees ghosts, and the arrogant yet secretly vulnerable President of a mega mall, who happens to have a ghost repelling ability and an inexplicable affection for wearing cravats in confusing ways.

I absolutely adored Master’s Sun, from the opening credits to the last scene of the final episode! What are your thoughts?

EMILY: I was wary going into this drama because the Hong Sisters had a serious misstep with their previous drama, Big. However, after watching this, I can say that they’ve returned in top form. This was a great drama. The characters are all so warm and weird and flawed, and they all really grew and changed as the story progressed. So Ji Sub, who I haven’t seen in any sort of comedic role in – I don’t even know how long – was great, playing his part with a quirky restraint, which allowed the always delightful Gong Hyo-Jin to go all out and be more outgoing and expressive and clingy. And ghost repellent– what a delightful excuse to get all touchy-feely!

Perplexed by cravats!

EVA: As you know, I’m absolute crap when it comes to watching shows to the end. I bail at the first sign of boredom. But this time I was hooked. The characters had chemistry, the ghosts were scary (at least during the first few episodes — the horror scaled back quickly), and the side characters were appealing and never overshadowed the main couple. Even better, the plot holes (there are always plot holes) weren’t so deep that I couldn’t step over them on my way to the next episode. And the weirdly styled cravats! And the bad hair! And the impossibly high heels! And the overbearing relatives! Sigh. Oh, k-dramas, how I’ve missed you.

ANNA: I really loved the way the characters were so idiosyncratic. I do enjoy more predictable k-drama shows, but when a show stands out like this for the quality of the writing and character development, it reminds me just how good k-dramas can be! The main couple are both broken in different ways, and their relationship slowly starts them on the path towards change. I thought that that the bodyguard Kang Woo and spoiled model Tae Yi Ryung were also a great counterpoint to the main couple. I loved the way Kang Woo nonchalantly turned down all the attempts to ask him out.

EMILY: True, I do like shows where the female second lead is likable. So often K-dramas will go out of the way to make the male second lead extremely appealing (thus causing second-lead syndrome where fans like him better than the main guy) while the female second lead is stuck being a mean and nasty character. In Master’s Sun, while Yi Ryung was certainly not always friendly, she also had her really cute, sympathetic moments.

Scary ghost shenanigans!

EVA: Exactly! The only truly evil character was the actual villain (which I won’t name here because spoilers). Yi Ryung is a brat, but she’s not evil and doesn’t try to do evil things. Is she mean? Yep. Does she try to embarrass her nemesis? You bet. But it’s not like she tries to get Gong Sil run over by a truck.

ANNA: I thought the number of times she got turned down in her romantic conquests made her seem much more sympathetic than the typical female second lead. Really, the entire main cast of the show was so quirky and memorable.

I have to say I really enjoyed the way Gong Shil’s need for ghost repellent caused her to get handsy with Joong Won at every opportunity. It was an amusing relationship dynamic that we don’t see very much in kdramas.

EVA: I really liked the way Joong Won’s character developed over the course of the show. Gong Shil’s need for his protection forced him to interact with people in a way he hadn’t since his kidnapping. As a result he learned empathy, humor, and that not all people suck. I was absolutely delighted the first time he smiled. It wasn’t until then that I realized he hadn’t smiled at all (smirks don’t count) in the first, what?, twelve episodes?

ANNA: I also enjoyed the way Joong Won’s character developed! I also thought that the central mystery for the show with the truth behind Joong Won’s kidnapping was well done. I was a little bit disappointed that some of the development towards the end of the series for Gong Shil happened off screen, but she had changed so much already throughout the course of the series.

EMILY: I liked how Joong Won accepted Gong Shil’s eccentricities. Her problem is a bit unusual, but he rolled with it fairly well. In particular, I liked his relationship with that ghost in the mall that communicated via trash can. I also appreciated how blunt he was in admitting his feelings. There was a bit less denial and dancing around emotions in this show than in typical kdramas. Everyone felt things strongly and expressed it right away. I could have done without the obligatory kdrama amnesia plot, but even that was not dragged on for too long. All in all, this is another solid show from the Hong Sisters, who prove once again how good they are at taking a standard kdrama plot and tilting it just a bit to make it fresh and enjoyable.

Bookshelf Briefs 12/29/14

December 29, 2014 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith and Anna N Leave a Comment

This week, Sean, Michelle, and Anna check out recent releases from Yen Press, Seven Seas, Viz Media, and Kodansha Comics.

Barakamon, Vol. 2 | By Satsuki Yoshino | Yen Press – I was a bit surprised at how fast this series went straight to ‘slice-of-life’ – while Handa’s devotion to calligraphy is present throughout, there aren’t as many scenes directly dealing with his struggles as before – r at least they’re more subtle. Riding the two middle schoolers about their own penmanship till they drop certainly speaks volumes. But mostly what we have here is ‘city boy learns life lessons’, in turns heartwarming and humorous. There’s also some otaku humor here, notably Tama’s repressed fujoshi fantasies, which Handa accidentally keeps inspiring. This is still enjoyable, but don’t read it for the plot – though that may change with the arrival of two new people from Handa’s past at the end. – Sean Gaffney

Girls Und Panzer: Little Army, Vol. 1 | By Girls Und Panzer Projekt and Tsuchii | Seven Seas – While Yukari is the star of the main manga adaptation, Miho is the star of the FRANCHISE, so it’s no surprise that she gets a spinoff here. This 2-volume series shows her as a more innocent elementary schooler, loving her tanks and her sister but already feeling a lot of family pressure, and not being helped by the new girl being a classic tsundere with a grudge against her family. Much of this is cute slice-of-life with tanks, as with the main series, but it’s refreshing to see an unbroken Miho here, even if the author promises the 2nd volume will be more serious. If you enjoy the main manga, and want to see more girls and tanks, this is a good choice – it’s not the fluff you’d expect. – Sean Gaffney

Happy Marriage, Vol. 9 | by Maki Enjoji | Viz Media – I’ve been feeling a little lukewarm about the past couple volumes of Happy Marriage because there were far too many contrived external events that were thwarting the happiness of Chiwa and Hokuto, but I enjoyed this volume so much more because it turned back to focusing on their developing relationship. Chiwa is being menaced and she suspects an ex-girlfriend of Hokuto’s. She and Hokuto end up confronting the woman together and in the process articulate their feelings for each other. A crisis in Hokuto’s family also brings them closer together as they finally deal with the issue of Hokuto’s succession to the family business. When I was reading this volume I was struck again by how much I like Enjoji’s art. She does a great job at portraying the nuanced meanings behind Chiwa and Hokuto’s exchanges as they slowly become a stronger couple. – Anna N

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 20 | By Karuho Shiina | Viz Media – I have yet to encounter a bad volume of Kimi ni Todoke, but this is an especially good one. The story feels evenly spread across the characters, especially the three main girls, as they contend first with contemplating their future plans and next with the implications of giving home-made chocolates on Valentine’s Day. I love that Sawako has found her calling (and the great conversation in which she tells Kazehaya about it), but Chizuru and Ayane are even more fascinating to watch, as both are encouraged by their teacher to aim higher. Ayane, especially, has never had something to put her all into, and later wonders if she’s even capable of caring for her boyfriend Kento as much as she should. For the first time, I saw this as more of a coming-of-age manga than a sweet high school romance. Maybe it really could follow them into adulthood without sacrificing quality! – Michelle Smith

Sankarea, Vol. 10 | By Mitsuru Hattori | Kodansha Comics – As we head for the final volume, we’re getting lots of answers here, all being presented by Jogoro’s second wife, whose exposition dump is livened up somewhat by revealing she was sort of an eccentric when she was alive. Zombies finally dying is the order of the day, though – Otoki’s life ends after she’s helped Chizuru refresh his memories, and we learn that his mother crucified her zombie self so as not to risk her children. That leaves us with Rea, and honestly things aren’t looking good there – she’s gone on a rampage and even Chihiro may not be able to save her now. Can this series, which has had a lot to say about life going past the point it should, possibly have a happy ending? – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Say “I Love You” & More

December 29, 2014 by Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Sean Gaffney, Anna N and MJ Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: I’m tempted to highlight some of the digital releases this week, but honestly, the volume I’m most excited about is volume five of Say “I Love You.” I’ve been fully won over by this series and it’s a guaranteed automatic buy every time a new volume is available.

ASH: The fifth volume of Say I Love You is definitely on my list of manga to be read, but since Michelle already picked it I’ll actually go with Stones of Power this week. It’s been a while since I read the serialization of first few chapters, but I do remember liking them. I’m curious to see if the completed volume lives up to my memory.

SEAN: Definitely Say “I Love You” for me as well. I’m hoping that 2015 might bring over a couple more licenses from Dessert Magazine.

ANNA: I’ll have to pick Say “I Love You” as well. It is certainly the most interesting manga coming out this week.

MJ: Okay, I think I need to go with one of the digital releases this week. Although I have considerable interest in Gen Manga’s Stones of Power, it’s pretty hard to resist Yen’s digital release of Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun, after Sean described its genre as “MJ.” I mean, how can I ignore an insight such as that? I can’t. So I’m buying.

What looks good to you this week?

Assassination Classroom Vol 1

December 26, 2014 by Anna N

Assassination Classroom Volume 1 by Yusei Matsui

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To be perfectly honest, I would have bought this manga for the title alone. The fact that it is a story about a mysterious tentacled alien teacher looking after a classroom of misfit teenage assassins is just a bonus. The premise of the manga is set up in an effective way, with some elements explained and others just left for the reader to simply accept and move on with the story. The manga opens as the happy face octopus stands in front of the classroom wearing an academic hood and gown. As the day opens the entire class leaps up from their desks with guns and begins to fire away. Their assassination attempts are fruitless, because their teacher can move at super speed and has amazing healing abilities. The assassination classroom is a room full of misfits held in the annex of a normal middle school. One day their teacher showed up, disintegrated a large portion of the moon and said that he would do the same to Earth in one year. Kuro Sensei inexplicably wants to spend a year educating the youth of Earth before he destroys it. The government has offered up a bounty to the member of class 3-E who succeeds in killing their teacher.

Assassination Classroom is filled with humorous elements interspersed with dynamic scenes of assassinations being foiled with ease. For poetry class, Kuro Sensei requires everyone to end their poem with the word “tentacles” and he is always using his supersonic flying power to randomly buy himself treats from around the world. The standout student is Sugino, who spends his days making careful observations of his teacher, slowly gathering intelligence that might eventually lead to a successful assassination. As the volume progresses, more members of the class 3-E are introduced, all of whom have unique abilities. The most amusing aspect of the volume is the fact that for all Kuro Sensei plans on wiping out all of humanity in a year, he is really dedicated to being an excellent teacher. He intervenes in the lives of his troubled students and actually does manage to teach them some useful life lessons. The uplifting aspects of the manga contrast with Earth’s imminent doom in an interesting way. The art is well-executed but somewhat generic. It is amusing to see the variety of expressions on Kuro Sensei’s face, and the unexpected ways his alien powers manifest. I think this series would really appeal to fans of Death Note. So far, Assassination Classroom seems like an ideal pick for people who enjoy manga with a healthy side of dark cynicism on the side.

Manga the Week of 12/31

December 24, 2014 by Sean Gaffney, MJ, Ash Brown, Michelle Smith and Anna N 3 Comments

SEAN: There’s still not a great deal of manga out for this final week of the year, but there’s a bit more than last week. Let’s see what we’ve got.

Gen Manga has a new title, called Stones of Power, which would appear from its cover art to star a catgirl shrine maiden.

MJ: If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Gen Manga, it’s that I should always pay more attention to it than I think I should. So I’ll be checking this out for sure.

ASH: I remember enjoying the early chapters of Stones of Power when Gen was serializing it, so I’m looking forward to reading the whole thing!

ANNA: Hmm, I look forward to reading your reviews!

SEAN: On to Kodansha. Fairy Tail 45 has a cover that makes me sigh, but ah well. I’m going to guess a lot of battles?

And Say “I Love You” is at Vol. 5, and that cover actually looks really cute? Will the inside be just as cute, or will it be more drama filled?

MICHELLE: Whatever the case, I’m sure it’ll be good!

ANNA: Such a good manga! I remember now that I haven’t read volume 4 yet. I’m going to treat myself to this!

SEAN: That doesn’t seem like a lot. Let’s do something we rarely do: what’s out digitally this month?

Dark Horse seems to have eased up on their app-only titles, as we’re seeing a pile of new digital manga this month that may have already come out earlier exclusively. Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, Crying Freeman, Blade of the Immortal, Oh My Goddess, and Mail all have various volumes out.

ASH: Nice to see Dark Horse making these more widely available, especially as so many of them are out of print.

SEAN: The two Kodansha titles I mentioned earlier are also available as ebooks.

Vertical has two more volumes of Black Jack, the 3rd and 4th.

MJ: Still so happy about this!

ANNA: Me too! I didn’t collect the whole series in print, so I might pick up a volume or to digitally.

SEAN: Viz has more of their ‘Viz Select’ titles, aka ‘the Kadokawa titles we can license rescue from Tokyopop’. Vol. 12 of Trinity Blood is where TP left off, and so far I don’t believe Viz has actually translated anything new for these rescues (they’re pretty low budget), so this may be it. And there’s the 2nd Mouryou Kiden volume, which is there to remind you why the title ‘ex-CLAMP artist’ is not really a compliment. And there’s a third volume of Zone-00.

MICHELLE: Man, this is like manga memory lane!

ANNA: I am feeling oddly nostalgic!

SEAN: Then we have the two debuts. Sgt. Frog is a series that I really enjoyed reading when it was first coming out, though I will admit I felt it was getting a bit long in the tooth by the end of it. It’s great to see back, though, and I am happy to see Vol. 1 digitally here.

The other series, Hands Off!, I know less about. It’s actually finished, with all 8 volumes being released over here. It seems to be an esper series, and I suspect will have hints of BL, like most esper series – and indeed a lot of Monthly Asuka series, which is where it ran.

MJ: Hmmm… maybe, maybe…

MICHELLE: That was pretty much exactly how I felt about Hands Off! when it was coming out in print. I bought volume one years and years ago and never got around to reading it.

SEAN: And just as Viz license rescues old Tokyopop titles, so Yen is license rescuing – at least digitally – some of the older titles Viz licensed via Square Enix, who now have a close working relationship with Yen. Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun started in Stencil (sort-of shoujo) and then moved to GFantasy (sort of shonen). But the genre it really fits is ‘MJ’, I suspect.

MJ: Should I feel honored that I have become a genre? :D I think so. That said, I missed most of this series in print, so I should probably take the opportunity to pick it up now!

ASH: Nightmare Inspector is a series I’m personally very fond of. Glad it will be reaching some new readers.

MICHELLE: I was always kind of intrigued by this one, but never actually read it.

ANNA: I enjoyed the first couple volumes of this, nice to see it coming back!

SEAN: Technically the title to this next series in North America is ‘O-Parts Hunter‘, but I really hate not referring to it by its original Japanese title, 666 Satan (can’t imagine why they changed it…). If the artist’s last name sounds familiar, there’s a reason: the creator is the younger twin brother of Naruto’s creator. 666 Satan is well-told, if not particularly original.

Lastly, all 9 volumes of The Record of a Fallen Vampire are available. A Shonen Gangan series by the creator of Spiral: Bonds of Reasoning, featuring vampires, there was precisely zero chance this would not get licensed by Viz, and there was precisely zero chance that, once given the opportunity, Yen would not make it available digitally.

MJ: I’m in for this as well.

MICHELLE: MJ, would you believe I talked about this series in our very first Off the Shelf column? I did! Here’s proof.

SEAN: Do you plan to use your gift cards to get anything here?

Yukarism Vol. 1

December 24, 2014 by Anna N

Yukarism Volume 1 by Chika Shiomi

I’m always excited for the first volume of a new Shojo Beat series comes out, but I was SUPER EXCITED for Yukarism because I’ve enjoyed previous works from Shiomi so much. My absolute favorite of her series so far is Night of the Beasts. I thought that Yukarism had an interesting premise, so I was very curious!

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The couple embracing on the cover of the first volume isn’t a couple, it is the same person in a current and previous life. Yukari is a young teenage genius of an author, producing books set in the Edo period with vivid historical detail. His new classmate Mahoro is fascinated by him, coming up with excuses to stop by with homework or treats when he’s absent from school due to a writing binge. Yukari recognizes something in Mahoro, but when she has a conversation with him, her expectations of talking to a author dedicated to his readers are derailed. Yukari seems to approach the world with a significant amount of detachment, perhaps because he’s haunted by memories from a previous life. When Yukari notices a scar on Mahoro’s wrist, he’s catapulted into the past and wakes up as a courtesan in the Edo period named Yumurasaki. Here, Mahoro’s previous life was as a man named Kazuma who serves as Yumurasaki’s protector.

Shiomi’s art is lovely. The character designs for Yukari and Yumurasaki look like male and female aspects of the same person. The shift in detail in the backgrounds from the sparse modern day to the elaborately decorated Edo period is a treat to see. There are little moments of physical comedy scattered throughout the book, because when Yukari travels to the past he can’t be as graceful as Yumuraski and finds himself overbalanced by headgear and teetering off his shoes. Kazuma is terrified when he sees Yumurasaki casually sitting like a teenage boy with his legs spread apart.

Yukari approaches his sudden experience of his past life like an adventure, but he doesn’t yet seem to be emotionally affected by living Yumurasaki’s life. He’s unconcerned by how his odd behavior might affect her relationships, and his attitude seems to be much more that of a writer observing details than someone who is invested in actually experiencing his life. Yukari’s encounters in the past end up giving him insight into the present, as a tormented girl who works in Yumurasaki appears in the present with psychological issues due to the trauma of her forgotten previous life. Yukari is able to use the knowledge he gained as Yumurasaki to help her.

Overall, I found this first volume very intriguing. I’m looking forward to seeing how the past continues to have an impact on Yukari’s present. Shiomi does a great job coming up with characters who have reticent but interesting personalities. Yukari really acts just as one would expect a teenage boy who used to be an elite courtesan of the past to behave. I’m also curious to see how the relationship between the more dynamic Yukari and the watchful Mahoro develops. Yukarism is a great new manga to kick off the new year!

Honey Blood Volumes 1 and 2

December 21, 2014 by Anna N

Honey Blood Volumes 1 and 2 by Miko Mitsuki

Two volume manga series are a bit tricky sometimes. They tend to be series that are canceled because they were not entirely successful, and sometimes have unfinished or rushed endings as a result. Sometimes there are two volume series that do end up telling a story satisfactorily, but most of the time when I read them, I either end up acknowledging that I just read a manga that was never going to work or I find myself wishing for just one more volume.

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Hinata is a normal high school girl going about her daily life, slightly mystified about the vampire novels that are taking her school by storm. At the same time there have been cases of young girls who are the victims of mysterious attacks in her city. When she comes home one day after school, she bumps into a strange young man in traditional Japanese clothing. He’s accompanied by a clinging female editor. It turns out that he’s Junya Tokinaga, the writer of the novels that Hinata thinks of as ludicrous. Hinata has a tendency to burst out with whatever is on her mind and her first encounter with the famous author has her musing how the central plot point of a vampire giving up immortality to die with the person he loves is difficult to understand. Junya ends up acting bizarrely flirtatious around Hinata while she keeps making comments like “I can’t stand guys like you!”

The neighborhood attacks continue, and Junya saves Hinata from a man who almost assaults her when she is walking alone at night. She begins to be more fascinated with her next door neighbor, and he continues to demonstrate his interest in her. Hinata begins to suspect that Junya is a vampire, and it turns out that Junya’s novels describing a situation where a vampire who kisses a mortal is bound only to her until they both die is based on the conditions of his own vampirism. I thought the art in this series was attractive, but the storyline ended up shoving Hinata and Junya together a little too quickly to be believable. By the end of the first volume, they are almost a couple with Hinata pursuing Junya while he attempts to hold back details of his life from her. The continued vampire attacks make the reader a bit uneasy, as it is unclear if Junya is feeding on other women, or if in fact there are other vampires around.

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I think the second volume shows the author throwing a bunch of ideas out to see if anything would stick. Hinata and Junya embark on their unconventional romance. The reader gets a bit of back story when it is revealed that Junya’s long lost love was one of Hinata’s ancestors. Hinata and Junya’s overly solicitous editor get into a conflict of personalities. A rival vampire named Setsuna shows up to complicate the situation further. I liked the romance better in the second volume when Hinata and Junya were an established couple. I also enjoyed the blend of vampire angst and little moments of humor, like when Hinata picks out modern clothes for Junya only for him to promptly become a target for aggressive modeling scouts. As the second volume wrapped up, I found myself wishing that the author had a bit more time to develop the series before launching it in the first place. It seemed like it was starting to get a bit more interesting only to be cut short. If a longer series by Mitsuki gets licensed, I would be interested in reading it, because I’d be curious to see what she could do with more space to develop a series. As it is, I’d recommend Honey Blood for vampire manga collections, or for people who don’t mind reading short manga with abrupt endings.

Manga the Year of 2014

December 19, 2014 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, MJ and Anna N Leave a Comment

SEAN: Technically this should be Manga the Week of 12/24, but that’s merely one title: Vampire Hunter D 22. And tempted as I was to make a “Give her the D for Christmas” joke, that can’t really sustain an entire column. So I’d like to ask the team what they think the important titles of the year were for them this year. New series you fell for? Old series that have ended? Emerging trends?

I’ll start off by picking the third one, and talk about something that isn’t technically manga. Yen Press has been quietly putting out a few light novel series for years, with mild successes such as Book Girl, Kieli, and Spice & Wolf. But 2014 saw the explosion of the Yen On brand, which began with the first Sword Art Online novel and looks in 2015 to be expanding far, far more than anyone had expected. With the promise of approximately 25 volumes for the year 2015, I likely should have waited a year for this. But 2014 was a great start: not only Sword Art Online and its sister series Accel World, but the amazingly popular (and previously thought too big to license) A Certain Magical Index series, and the fantasy romantic comedy Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?. Yen On is determined to put down the myth that “light novels can’t succeed in North America”, and they’re what I was most excited about in 2014.

Runners up: The end of Excel Saga, the Ranma 1/2 re-release, Sailor Moon Crystal (so much excitement, so much disappointment…), Showa, Whispered Words.

MICHELLE: I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I have to say… the manga that I loved most this year is What Did You Eat Yesterday?, by Fumi Yoshinaga. I had wished for this license for years, putting it forth whenever companies (mostly Vertical) would solicit suggestions, and it’s such a tremendous delight to be able to say that now that it’s here, I haven’t been disappointed by it one bit. And, even better, it’s been coming out every two months like clockwork! (I am trying not to think how sad I’m going to be after volume nine comes out in July, at which point we’ll likely be caught up with Japan.) Thank you, Vertical!

Runners up: The end of Dawn of the Arcana, instantly endearing/fascinating new series like My Love Story!! and Black Rose Alice, the influx of really interesting new shoujo from Kodansha, and my continued heart-felt love for Skip Beat! and Natsume’s Book of Friends.

ASH: It’s so hard to choose just one manga, so I’m just going to choose one publisher instead. Fantagraphics has a very small manga line, but I’m always impressed by what it releases. In fact, I count all four volumes of Fantagraphics’ manga published in 2014 among my favorites for the year. I will always be eternally grateful for Takako Shimura’s Wandering Son being translated into English (happily, the editing and quality control for that series seems to be back on track now), I still haven’t been able to get Inio Asano’s Nijigahara Holograph out of my head, and Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It is an incredible collection and groundbreaking work. Rumor has it Fantagraphics is looking to publish even more manga in the future; I can’t wait to see what’s in store.

Runners up: In Clothes Called Fat is one of the best comics I’ve read, My Love Story!! makes me incredibly happy, and Chromatic Press/Sparkler Monthly continues to do some wonderful and marvelous stuff.

MJ: Truth be told, my favorite series this year is the same as Michelle’s. Like her, I’d been waiting anxiously to read What Did You Eat Yesterday? since I first heard of its existence, and (like her) I will be eternally grateful to Vertical for bringing it to me so much sooner than I imagined was possible. I’ve enjoyed every volume of this series so far, and I don’t expect that to change. But in the interest of spreading the love around as far as possible, I’ll use my space here to give a final thank you to Chromatic Press for resurrecting and providing (IN PRINT) the final volume of of Jen Lee Quick’s Off*Beat. When new chapters began serialization in Sparkler Monthly in 2013, I know that there were still some skeptics who feared we’d never get to see its conclusion. But with the final print volume’s release this year, I hope that even they have come to terms with the value of what Chromatic Press/Sparkler Monthly can (and continues to) offer us—including a new series from Quick, already in serialization now!

Runners up: Continuing to prove the awesomeness of Vertical, Knights of Sidonia is a series I can’t seem to get enough of. And speaking of resurrections, many thanks to Dark Horse for rescuing CLAMP’s Legal Drug from the OOP graveyard. I’m so looking forward to new volumes of that series’ reboot in 2015! And of course, everything my colleagues have mentioned here has a place on my list, too.

ANNA: This has been a good year for paranormal shoujo, with Midnight Secretary winding down, Spell of Desire starting up, the continuation of Millennium Snow, and even more vampire romance available in the two volume series Honey Blood. However I have to highlight what is one of the oddest paranormal titles that I’ve read recently, Black Rose Alice. There’s a dramatic shift in tone between the first two volumes that I found really intriguing, and the vampires that appear in the series are genuinely unusual even though there are plenty other vampire shoujo series to read! Setona Mizushiro’s art is an interesting mix of the pretty and the surreal. I find myself more impatient for the next volume of this series than any other manga I’ve read this year, so it gets my vote for pick of the year.

Pick of the Week: Keaton vs. Fourteen

December 15, 2014 by MJ, Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown and Anna N 4 Comments

SEAN: There are a bevy of choices this week. I’m tempted by an English edition of Master Keaton at last, or the new yuri title Citrus. But I will go with Love at Fourteen as my pick of the week. It’s the story of two childhood friends, both mature for their age, who are dealing with love and everything that comes from it. The magazine it runs in, Rakuen Le Paradis, is one of Hakusensha’s best new titles, technically being shoujo/josei but really more ‘sui generis’. I cannot wait to read this.

MJ: I am decidedly with Sean this week. Though there are a number of titles on my radar, the one that intrigues me most by far is Love at Fourteen. Everything about this title sounds like exactly what I like best in a manga, and I am a bit ashamed that I didn’t even realize it was on the way until this week. Now I can’t wait to read it!

MICHELLE: I’m in the opposite camp! I did know Love at Fourteen was coming, so the one I wasn’t aware of until recently was Master Keaton. I really love Naoki Urasawa, so I am super excited to read this one!

ASH: I’m with Michelle this week. While I’m interested in Love at Fourteen, my pick absolutely goes to Master Keaton. Urasawa is one of the reasons I developed such a healthy obsession with manga, so I’m very happy to see more of his work being released in English.

ANNA: I’m also with Ash and Michelle! A newly translated Urasawa series takes precedence over everything in my mind!

What looks good to you this week?

Manga the Week of 12/17

December 11, 2014 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, MJ, Anna N and Michelle Smith 1 Comment

SEAN: Merry Christmas! Have some manga. Since the publishers usually go quiet around Christmas and New Year’s, almost everything is frontloaded to next week. So be prepared to be completely buried.

The Shinji Ikari Raising Project has now officially passed its parent in volume count. It’s coming to an end soon, though. In the meantime, Dark Horse brings us Vol. 15.

Manga Dogs 2 will help us to ask the question, “can the three male leads get any stupider?”. I’m betting on yes.

ASH: I’m sure that’s probably the case, though they’re pretty stupid to begin with.

SEAN: Kodansha also has its 4th xxxHOLIC omnibus. The series was at its high point here, in my opinion.

MJ: Even if I don’t think it had a *low* point, exactly, I agree that this was a great period in the series.

SEAN: Seven Seas debuts a new yuri series with Citrus, which is from Comic Yuri Hime – nice to see a title from that magazine over here again. Expect melodramatic schoolgirls.

ASH: I’m always interested in more yuri in English, so I’ll be checking this one out.

SEAN: There’s the third volume of D-Frag!, one of the funnier series I’ve read this past year.

You thought Dance in the Vampire Bund was over? You thought all we had left was spinoffs starring David Rasche? You were wrong! Here’s Dance in the Vampire Bund II: Vamp Harder… erm, Scarlet Order.

Girls Und Panzer isn’t over, but there’s always room for one more spinoff series. Little Army follows Miho, the “hardened battle commander” of the original series, as she does tank battles in elementary school.

And Haganai has a second collection of side story comedy for those who feel the main series has too much plot, this one called Club Minutes.

Lastly (from Seven Seas – we’re a long way from the end), there’s a new Witch Buster omnibus, with Vols. 13 and 14.

Vertical has a new Mobile Suit Gundam the Origin, and I think Vol. 8 means we’re 2/3 of the way through. Is the cast still alive? (I’m so far behind on this.)

ASH: As far as we know the cast is still alive; the last few volumes have been an extended flashback, so who knows what will happen from here?

ANNA: I’m behind too, but I keep buying it!

SEAN: Vertical is also debuting two old favorites digitally, as next week sees Vol. 1 and 2 of Black Jack, as well as Apollo’s Song. Mmmmm, digital Tezuka…

ASH: Since so many of Vertical’s Tezuka title have gone or are going out of print, I’m very happy that the publisher found a way to give them some new life.

ANNA: I have much fondness for Black Jack.

MJ: I do, too. I’m so happy to see this coming out digitally.

SEAN: Viz has a 10th volume of Afterschool Charisma, one of the SigIkki survivors.

ANNA: Another one of those series I read three volumes of and mean to get caught up on one day.

SEAN: It’s December, so it’s time for the annual release of Dogs: Bullets and Carnage, with Vol. 9 dropping.

The other SigIkki survivor also has a new volume, as Dorohedoro reached its 14th. Ikki in Japan may be no more, but Dorohedoro will be moving to its replacement, so don’t expect it to end right away.

MICHELLE: Someday I really will read these last three.

ASH: Dorohedoro! Such a delightfully charmingly bizarre series.

SEAN: It’s been a while since we’ve been able to get excited about an Urasawa release. Now we see an omnibus edition of Master Keaton, which will feature incredibly dramatic insurance investigations. No, really, it’s excellent. Check this out even if you’re not a fan of insurance.

MICHELLE: I am so excited about this!!

ASH: I’m definitely interested in seeing more from Urasawa.

ANNA: I’m curious about this title for sure.

MJ: I’m in!

SEAN: Think we’re done? HAH! It’s Yen time. We’ll start with the Yen On line. We get the debut of a new series whose title screams “I am a light novel franchise”. It’s called Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? I’m going to guess the answer overall will prove to be “no”, this sounds pretty harem-ey.

ASH: I don’t know much about the series, but the title amuses me, so I might actually give this one a try.

MJ: Heh. Agreed.

SEAN: Spice & Wolf’s novels have been running since long before Yen On began, and as such, we get lucky Vol. 13 here. That’s the light novel, not the manga, which also ships next week, but is Vol. 10.

And Sword Art Online’s novels start everyone’s favorite arc, Fairy Dance. This is a 2-parter, FYI, the second ships in April. This is the novel, not the manga, which already began the Fairy Dance arc in August, but had Vol. 2 ship last month, which is not Vol. 2 of the light novels, though it adapts part of it.

MJ: I don’t hate Fairy Dance, so I’m happy to see this.

SEAN: On the manga front, we have the 2nd of the adaptation of Accel World, having had the 2nd light novel one month ago, which this manga volume does not adapt, as it’s still adapting the first one. Clear? Wait till next spring, when it will get REALLY confusing. Also, hooray for new math.

Alice is really hard to get a lead on, as Are You Alice? has hit Vol. 7 and still doesn’t know.

MJ: Heh.

SEAN: Barakamon seems like a countrified Yotsuba&!, which suits me just fine. The 2nd volume is out next week.

MICHELLE: I still need to check this one out.

MJ: I’m happy to see more of this!

SEAN: Bloody Cross has its 5th volume ship. I admit I finally moved on from this, but if you like supernatural action, it certainly fills that need.

Yen has 3 debuts this month! The first is a familiar author to many, Kaori Yuki. She’d been with Hakusensha for years, but recently moved to Kodansha and their eccentric Aria magazine. This was her debut there, Demon From Afar. That said, if you like the sort of thing she usually writes, this is more of that. But in hardcover!

MICHELLE: Huh. Interesting.

MJ: I’m definitely looking forward to this!

SEAN: The second debut is another author familiar to us, but that’s because of a recent release from Viz. Aya Shouoto had Kiss of the Rose Princess come out via Shojo Beat, and now we see Yen releasing He’s My Only Vampire, which, yes, runs in Aria as well. This combines vampires AND childhood friends.

MICHELLE: Huh. Well, more shoujo is a good thing!

ANNA: I agree!

MJ: I’ll give it a try, for sure.

SEAN: There’s a spinoff of harem manga High School DxD, focusing on two of the lead females: Asia and Koneko’s Secret Contract. My guess is this is similar to Haganai’s Club Minutes, aka plotless comedy.

Kingdom Hearts II Vol. 3 is really not helping Yen escape my mocking of their volume numbers.

The last debut is the one I’m most excited about: Love at Fourteen. The plot sounds familiar, with two childhood friends finding love in school. But it runs in Hakusensha’s Rakuen Le Paradis, a magazine I’d kill to see more licenses from, and is apparently very well written.

MICHELLE: I’m really excited about this one, too!

ANNA: This was totally not on my radar before, but it sounds interesting.

MJ: My response is *both* of Michelle & Anna’s responses put together.

SEAN: Spice & Wolf has its 10th volume ship this week! That’s the manga, not the light novel. The light novel ships Vol. 13 this week, as I said earlier. Be aware that in 2015, Yen will begin calculating Manga and Light Novel volume numbers in Base 8, as they worry readers may get confused. (I am old enough to know what Base 8 is, yes.)

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: Lastly (at LONG last!), we get the 6th volume of Tena on S-String, a mere 4 years after the 5th. The series is out digitally if you want to jog your memory.

Is this enough Christmas manga? Do you want more? Clap your hands if you want more!

MJ: *clap*? No?