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Anna N

Pick of the Week: Kodansha-fest

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potwSEAN: It’s still hot and muggy, and I now have poison ivy on top of it. I don’t need quality. I need manga pixie sticks. Ergo, there’s one obvious choice for my pick of the week: Missions of Love. Betcha can’t read just one. And feel good about yourself the next day.

MICHELLE: It’s true; even I read the first two volumes. My pick of the week goes to the third volume of My Little Monster, which has impressed me with the characterization of its lead and by making the traditional romance beats feel refreshed. I’ve really been enjoying it so far.

ASH: I’ll stick with the Kodansha theme and pick the fourth omnibus of Vinland Saga, one of my favorite series being released right now. I liked the first omnibus but loved the next two, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how the characters and story continute to develop.

ANNA: I have to agree with Ash! Vinland Saga is easily the standout title for me this week too.

What looks good to you this week?

Manga the Week of 7/30

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SEAN: A 5th week of the month is usually sparse, but we do have a few interesting things due out at the tail end of July.

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Gen Manga offers you a choice of Indie Manga. Either you will think that One Is Enough, or perhaps you’d rather be with an Anomal. Choose wisely. (They do both look intriguing.)

ASH: You’re making me choose between boys’ love and yokai?! Sean, now that’s just mean.

MICHELLE: Wow, it occurs to me I haven’t read any boys’ love in ages.

MJ: Same here, and this needs to be rectified.

SEAN: If you prefer your manga a little more insane soap opera-ish, Kodansha gives you the 8th Missions of Love volume.

ASH: I’ll admit to actually enjoying Missions of Love. So much drama!

SEAN: They also have the third My Little Monster manga, where the heroine will no doubt stick to her promise to herself not to get involved with love. Aheh.

MICHELLE: This is the one thing from this week that I’ll definitely be picking up.

SEAN: And there’s also the 4th volume of Vinland Saga, which I suspect may get a lot of people excited, because Vikings make everything better.

ASH: I’m excited!! Vinland Saga is easily my favorite series being released by Kodansha at the moment.

ANNA: Vinland Saga is great. This reminds me that I need to read the copy of volume 3 that I’ve been saving for a day when I need to read about violence and Vikings.

SEAN: Seven Seas has been having a bad July in terms of ship dates. I mentioned Devils and Realist 2 earlier this month, it’s actually been moved back to next week.

ANNA: The first volume was pretty good. I’m curious to see if the main joke in the book gets a bit repetitive in the second volume.

SEAN: Lastly, Vertical has the 5th volume of sci-fi thriller From the New World.

What manga goes best with hot dogs and sauerkraut?

Two Harlequin Manga

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I do enjoy a Harlequin manga now and then! Here are a couple random titles I bought for my kindle recently.

The Venetian’s Midnight Mistress by Carole Mortimer and Yuko Ichiju

This was an enjoyable Harlequin manga, but I expected something a tiny bit more dramatic and angst-ridden from a story called “The Venetian’s Midnight Mistress.” Dani is a driven interior designer with the type of complicated family situation that seems to drive Harlequin heroines into the arms of a tall, dark, and handsome man. Dani’s grandfather is a jerk. He’s unhappy that his only heir is a woman, and he treats Dani’s father horribly for only producing a female grandchild. He’s arranged his will with a penalty – if Dani doesn’t produce a son the family will get nothing. Dani’s worried about her reproductive choices robbing her parents of the fortune that they’re entitled to, but she’s already had a disastrous first marriage and doesn’t want to enter into a relationship again. Dani’s best friend Eleni has a tall, dark, handsome, and arrogant older brother named Niccolo, who says seductive things to Dani like “When I think about kissing you, it makes me kinda sick.”

Sure enough, Eleni throws a masquerade ball and Dani and Niccolo are overwhelmingly attracted to each other when they are both wearing masks. They hook up, and Dani is horrified to realize that she’s slept with Niccolo. She escapes, but Niccolo soon figures out who his mystery woman was and heads after her. Dani soon finds out that she’s pregnant and Niccolo promptly proposes, but her psychological issues with commitment are going to prevent her from being happy with her new fiance.

The art for this title was fine – a bit middle of the road and generic, but that’s what I tend to expect from most Harlequin manga. I wish there had been some slightly more exciting plot elements like amnesia, a terminal illness, or a kidnapping, but for a nice predictable read featuring a masked ball, this volume delivers.


The Italian Prince’s Proposal by Susan Stephens and Kaishi Sakuya

This volume focuses on a marriage of convenience. Emily is substitute singing for her ill sister in a club where she’s spotted by Prince Alessandro. He decides that she’s the perfect fake bride for him. He arranges a meeting and feeds her chocolate from his home country. She slaps him. Clearly they are perfect for each other! Alessandro needs a bride so his father can abdicate the throne and officially retire. Emily needs money to help out her ailing sister. As in most Harlequin volumes focusing on a marriage of convenience, the couple soon develop feelings for each other, but a terrible misunderstanding threatens to tear them apart!!

The character designs for this volume were attractive, and the art was clear and easy to follow, if not very detailed. I appreciated that Emily enjoyed the chocolate festivals and wine making rituals of Alessandro’s home country. Really, with abundant chocolate and wine, I feel like most women wouldn’t mind the whole marriage of convenience thing. This wasn’t a standout title for me, but it was still fun for me to read. I think I need to be a bit more careful to pick titles that are a bit goofier, because I tend to enjoy Harlequins when there are more outlandish plot points than I found in these two volumes.

Pick of the Week: Almost Unanimous

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clothesfatASH: Every once in a while a week comes along that, despite there being plenty of manga to choose from, there’s one particular title that stands out for me. Any other week that might have been the most recent volume of MPD-Psycho since it’s been three years since the last one was released, but no. Without question, this week my pick goes to Moyoco Anno’s In Clothes Called Fat. Anno is an incredible creator; I’m thrilled that Vertical has been releasing more of her work in English. After seeing some previews, I have high expectations for this one.

SEAN: Tempted as I am by Accel World and the start of a new Umineko arc, I will instead go with: What Ash said.

Kodama_BLoodLad_V5MICHELLE: I’ll undoubtedly read this important work, but, if I’m honest, my heart belongs to the latest volume of Blood Lad, which has shown up unexpectedly soon. I never would’ve guessed that I’d enjoy this series as much as I do.

ANNA: I will also have to throw my support towards Moyoco Anno’s In Clothes Called Fat. Anno’s works always end up surprising me, and I’m happy that Vertical is bringing out such a great variety of her titles now.

MJ: I’d love to back Michelle up here, since I do love Blood Lad, or at least throw some page time to my beloved Pandora Hearts, but I really can’t choose anything but In Clothes Called Fat. I’ve been eagerly anticipating this release since it was first announced, and I’m thrilled to see it hitting the shelves this week. I can’t possibly pick anything else.

Manga the Week of 7/23

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SEAN: There’s so much stuff coming out next week you’d think it was a first week of the month. Remember when Yen Press was just three or so titles a month?

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We’ll start off with Dark Horse, who are still releasing Gantz, even as it’s up to Vol. 32 and surely running out of rubber bodysuits by now.

And look, it’s an old friend, MPD-Psycho, who have Vol. 11 out next week as well. This doesn’t quite have the cult following of Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (it lacks a lot of the humor), but is still very good for horror thrills.

ASH: It’s been what… almost three years now since the last volume was released? Glad to see that Dark Horse didn’t completely drop it.

MICHELLE: I have a couple of volumes of MPD-Psycho, but I haven’t been able to muster the courage to actually read them. Still, I’m also glad it’s still coming out!

SEAN: And Battle Angel Alita has its fourth omnibus. I will assume they’re still in the tournament arc, which I think went over 10 volumes eventually, right?

Vertical gives us another Moyoco Anno title with the one-shot In Clothes Called Fat. From what I gather, it’s a sharp look at body image pressure, low self-esteem and eating disorders. I expect it will be amazing.

ASH: I’m a huge fan of Moyoco Anno’s work, so I’m really looking forward to this release.

ANNA: This is really the only thing I’m wanting to pick up this week. Thanks again to Vertical for translating more Moyoco Anno!!!!!

MJ: This is a huge draw for me as well!

SEAN: Yen’s new light novel imprint, Yen On, gives us the first volume of Accel World. Apparently this takes place in the same world as Sword Art Online, just 20 years later, but it’s not really a sequel as such. It’s also famous for having a chubby male hero.

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MJ: I’m interested in this, for sure.

SEAN: Black Butler must be feeling very jealous. Time was when it was the series with all the volumes in the NYT bestseller list. Now Attack on Titan has stolen all its thunder. Still, it’s up to Vol. 17. Can’t be bad.

MICHELLE: It’s pleasant. :)

SEAN: I’m surprised the Blood Lad omnibuses have been coming out so fast, given it’s a fairly recent series in Japan. I suspect this may be the ‘we’re caught up now’ volume, though. Always a treat in any format, though.

MICHELLE: Wow, this came sooner than I thought it would! Still, it does mean that the wait for the next one will probably be quite long, indeed.

MJ: This is always a favorite for me!

SEAN: Inu x Boku SS has been surprisingly serious, and I understand this volume will not change that one iota.

Is This A Zombie? Ends with its 8th volume. I presume we can say “yes” at last and move on.

We also have the 4th No Matter How I Look At It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular! (aka WataMote). It’s hard to read, but even harder to type out the full title.

ASH: It can be rather painful to read. The series has some incredibly dark humor.

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SEAN: Speaking of titles that have caught up with Japan, here’s Vol. 12 of Omamori Himari, which has every single plotline a male otaku could possibly want in one handy series.

And Vol. 21 of Pandora Hearts, which has also caught up with Japan, and has every single plotline a female otaku could possibly want in one handy series.

MICHELLE: And *cuffs*. Right, MJ? :)

MJ: YES, CUFFS. Also, everything else. And I’m sure I don’t need to tell anyone I’ll be gobbling this up as soon as it hits my doorstep.

SEAN: Soul Eater begins its final arc in Vol. 21, and I am here to tell you that it will be AMAZING.

And for those who want a kinder, gentler Soul Eater, here is the 3rd Soul Eater NOT!, compiling chapters that have been available digitally for a few months now.

Lastly, Umineko: When They Cry starts its 4th arc, Alliance of the Golden Witch. While Battler will still be around, his younger sister Ange is the focus here, now all grown up and trying to figure out what happened 12 years earlier. As you can see, she’s also a source of fanservice for manga artists. Maria’s tragic upbringing also gets a lot of attention here.

Is this enough? Or do you want even more manga next week?

Spell of Desire, Vol. 1

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Spell of Desire Volume 1 by Tomu Ohmi

I am unapologetically enthusiastic about Shojo Beat’s new habit of releasing slightly smutty josei manga under the Shojo Beat imprint. More josei is a good thing! I was happy to see that after a few volumes of Tohmu Ohmi’s Midnight Secretary, another series of hers was licensed by Viz. Spell of Desire is that series, and I might even like it more than I like Midnight Secretary, as impossible as that might seem.

As you might guess from the title, with Spell of Desire, Ohmi has turned her attention to witches! Kaoruko Mochizuki is a herbalist in a small village, but one day a mysterious man named Kaname Hibiki shows up at her store and announces that she’s a witch, descended from a long line of women with mystical power. It turns out that Kaoruko’s long lost mother is a Witch Queen, and she’s sealed her power within Kaoruko. As the power begins to activate, Kaoruko will need help controlling it, and Kaname just happens to be the Knight dedicated to her protection.

I loved the contrast between Kaoruko and Kaname. She’s drawn as an earthy, hippie type, with flowing layers of clothing with botanical prints that reflect her connection to her profession. Kaoruko is a bit naive, but committed to the customers at her shop and the simple way of life that she enjoys. Kaname’s severe, with an all-black wardrobe and glasses that make him look stern. He also has a bit of a snarky and cynical personality. Kaname comes with two animal companions named Dragon and Unicorn, that appear to be a fluffy white cat and dog, but actually possess mystical powers themselves. When Kaoruko accidentally activates her mystical powers, they manifest as black vine tendrils winding across the panels in the manga, becoming more tangled as her powers become more out of control. Of course, there is a fail-safe mechanism to calm Kaoruko down – kisses from Kaname.

The first volume deals with the conflict between Kaoruko and Kaname as he insinuates himself into her life in order to protect her from her runaway witch powers. It is terrible, but Kaname and Kaoruko have to kiss very often because her powers are starting to really get out of control. While at first Kaoruko is resistant to the idea that she’s a witch, she decides to accept her situation calmly and deal with it even if there are things that she doesn’t understand. Kaname comments in response, “You’re such a decent person it’s almost ludicrous.” Kaoruko is left wondering about Kaname’s real relationship with her mother the Witch Queen, and I can see how there will be plenty to explore in future volumes as Kaoruko has to deal with her new reality as a witch and Kaname’s place in her life. Fans of Midnight Secretary or paranormal romance manga in general should snap this up!

Bookshelf Briefs 7/14/14

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This week, Sean and Anna look at recent releases from Viz Media and Seven Seas.

midnight6Midnight Secretary, Vol. 6 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – There’s still a little bit of “but I’m just his secretary” here, but that ends up being overshadowed by all the fallout from Kaya thinking she’s pregnant. It turns out she isn’t, but the idea that she might be is not entirely unappealing to her. That said, the vampire world is unhappy with it, so much so that they send the clan leader over to threaten and disturb Kaya, implying that her feelings are being artificially induced. And when Kyohei is able to convince her otherwise, even stronger measures look to be taken. The links between vampires and humans have been bubbling over this whole series, and given the next volume is the last one I expect it will all end in tears… no wait, this is josei romance. It should be fine. – Sean Gaffney

nisekoi4Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 4 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – There is a story and character development happening here, but I am finding myself drawn more to the technical aspects of this manga, which are exceptional. I’ve mentioned before that Komi is very good at keeping his harem “balanced”, and his excellent ability at drawing goofy faces. Now here we see that he can do devastatingly good cliffhangers as well. Three of these chapters have cliffhangers that make you desperate to come back next week for more, which is all you can ask of a serialized story. We also get a new girl introduced, Marika, who is immediately set up to be an obvious villain, showing herself off as Raku’s “fiancee” and demanding he break up with Chitoge. This succeeds where other modern harem manga fail. – Sean Gaffney

one-punch2One-Punch Man, Vol. 2 | by ONE and Yusuke Murata | Viz Media – Sometimes I forget about manga I read digitally unless I get nagging e-mail reminders. I hadn’t realized that there were now three volumes of One-Punch Man now available. I am delighted that the second volume was just as ridiculous as the first. One-Punch Man goes up against an evil mad scientist who has built an underground lair called the “House of Evolution”. One-Punch Man is accompanied by his new trusty cyborg diciple Genos. The unlikely duo face off against an army of clone scientists and a monster genetically engineered assassin. There’s a great joke later on in the book featuring a superhero bicyclist, and One-Punch Man is showing signs of finally wanting some superhero notoriety for himself. Highly recommended if you enjoy dumb humor and people punching things! – Anna N

sacredblacksmith5The Sacred Blacksmith, Vol. 5 | By Isao Miura and Kotaro Yamada | Seven Seas – Given there’s no hint of it on the back cover or in the first half, I feel obliged to say that this volume has a rather traumatic rape scene in it, featuring Cecily and a new villain. We do see Cecily trying to recover from the resultant fugue state she goes into, and she does to a degree, but her final confrontation with said villain is then undercut by the entrance of Luke, who fights in her place to protect her. It left a very bad taste in my mouth, and I think I’m going to be dropping this. There are still a lot of fantasy underpinnings here, and everyone has at least two motivations for everything they do. But the rape and its aftermath have made me very apathetic towards reading more of it. – Sean Gaffney

sweet-rein3Sweet Rein, Vol. 3 | By Sakura Tsubasa | Viz Media – There’s no “Final Volume” on the back cover, and the series does not end so much as stop, but I’m pretty sure this *is* the last Sweet Rein, unless Hakusensha restarts it again a la Millennium Snow. It’s light but sweet, giving us more human/reindeer antics and the occasional not-quite romance (the two leads have still only kissed on the cheek). The Santas seem to function as shinigami a lot of the time, bringing closure to a rich boy and his butler as well as a reindeer whose master was killed, leaving him behind. This adds an element of darkness, but even then the series can’t help but resolve things with a sugar coating. There’s also an extra story dealing with Penguin Revolution, for old CMX fans – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: The Anti-pick?

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potwSEAN: Well… I was going to pick Terra Formars here, but after my Manga the Week of column, there has been a torrent of “Wait, wait, haven’t you heard about it?” that has made me reconsider. I shall see how it plays in my review, but am now reluctant to grant it a pick of the week. As such, I’ll grant my pick to a Seven Seas title, D-Frag!. I like goofy club comedies, and this one promises not to lean too heavily on the harem antics. Goofy girls being weird is pretty much just what I need in these hot months.

MICHELLE: I am totally in the same boat, Sean. I was completely unaware of the title’s unsavory reputation when I wrote of my interest in the title. So, instead I’ll recommend some more seinen from VIZ in the form of Naoki Urasawa’s Monster. This is a series that’s really at its best when consumed in large chunks, so I’m pleased to see it coming out in omnibus format. If you missed it the first time, now’s your chance!

ASH: I’m still interested in reading at least the first volume of Terra Formars to see what everyone is talking about for myself, but I’ll take an easy out and choose the third volume of What Did You Eat Yesterday? for my pick this week. I like the series best when it focuses on the characters and their stories, but the food is pretty tasty, too.

ANNA: I was unaware of the issues with Terra Formars too, so I’m going to highlight Alice in the Country of Clover: Knight’s Knowledge, because I’m guessing that this reverse harem title featuring a murderous knight with no sense of direction will be much much much classier.

SEAN: Pick of the Week: We’re Not Running Away, We’re Advancing In Reverse!

MJ: I might sort of be running away. I’ll take a look at Terra Formars, but I admit I’m pretty wary now. Instead, I’ll join Ash in picking the latest volume of What Did You Eat Yesterday?, which I will undoubtedly love. Fumi Yoshinaga has never truly failed me, and this series has charmed me to bits so far. Fortunately, I have pretty much equal parts love for the characterization and the food, so I’m happy no matter what.

What looks good to you this week?

My Love Story! Vol. 1

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My Love Story! Vol 1 by Kazune Kawahara and Aruko

It is fairly rare for a shoujo manga to manage being both hilarious and heartwarming, but My Love Story! delivers. I was looking forward to this title because I absolutely adore Kazune Kawahara’s previously translated series High School Debut, and this new manga more than lived up to my expectations.

My Love Story! is extremely refreshing because in a dramatic shift from most shoujo series, it focuses on a boy as the main character. And the boy that it focuses on is Takeo, a hulking giant who is drawn exactly like the manga stereotype of a local gang leader, with a hulking body, thick eyebrows, and overabundant sideburns. Takeo is looked up to by everyone who plays sports with him, but his true friend is Suna, conventionally attractive in exactly the way a shoujo reader would expect, with windswept hair and a habit of rejecting all the girls who have crushes on him. Takeo has a habit of falling for girls who are crushing on Shun, who are then promptly turned down when they confess their feelings. On a fateful day Takeo saves a girl from being groped on a train, and she shows up the next day at his house with a cake to thank him. Rinko is an incredibly sweet and cute girl who enjoys baking and shyly blushing whenever she comes up with an excuse to be around Takeo. Unfortunately Takeo is so used to being passed over for Shun, he tries to set up Shun and Rinko, while being utterly unaware the the cute girl that he loves actually loves him back.

There’s plenty of caricature and humorous reactions as Takeo goes through extreme emotions. While it would be easy for Takeo to be the target of jokes, Shun genuinely cares for his best friend. While much is made of Takeo being an unlikely shoujo hero, he’s actually surrounded by supporters. It turns out that Shun is rejecting any girl who speaks badly about Takeo, because he has no interest in dating anyone who shows themselves as a mean person. Shun manages to get Rinko and Takeo together, and it is nice to see a manga series centered around people who just simply care about each other. My Love Story doesn’t suffer from second volume syndrome at all, by the end of the first two chapters I was utterly won over by the combination of characters, humor, and random feats of strength exhibited by Takeo as he goes about his day. The art maybe relies a bit too much on the contrast between Takeo being a blundering thug in a sparkly shoujo world, but there’s plenty of plot driven and situational humor to balance out this aspect of the manga.

As Rinko and Takeo start going out, Shun learns that his older sister has also been nursing a crush on Takeo that she has never expressed, because she was waiting to tell him her feelings when she was older. She immediately concludes that Rinko must be no good, and heads off to intervene, but Rinko and Ai quickly bond over their shared feelings. The end of the first volume of My Love Story! is too funny to spoil, but I’ll be looking forward to the second volume for this winning combination of laugh out loud moments and quirky romance.

Say I Love You, Vols 1 and 2

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Say I Love You Volume 1 by Kanae Hazuki

Say I Love You has a premise that is shared among plenty of shoujo series, as it details an improbable romance between a misfit girl and the most popular boy in school, but it has interesting combination of humor and some grittier than usual plot points, resulting an a series that is more entertaining for being slightly quirky.

Mei Tachibana goes throughout life without having any friends. She doesn’t say much to her classmates, and it is easy to understand why, since she’s been singled out as a target for bullies from an early age. Yamato Kurosawa is extremely handsome, and is one of the most popular boys at school. He’s pleasant, but not very interested in girls who are overly interested in him. Mei captures his attention when one of his friends trips her. Later on, his friend grabs the hem of her skirt and she responds with a silent but deadly roundhouse kick, nailing Kurosawa in the face. Yamato laughs as he’s recovering from the blow and proclaims that Mei is interesting. Yamato asks Mei to be friends and while she doesn’t respond, she calls Yamato later when she is in trouble with no one else to turn to.

Mei decides that even though Yamato is a “nonsensical guy” she’s beginning to trust him a little bit. Her classmates begin to treat her differently when they notice Yamato saying “Hi” to her at school. Gradually they start to get to know each other better, through a series of slight misadventures where Yamato proves himself as steadfast and emotionally intelligent. Mei continues to be feisty and a bit withdrawn, but her lack of caring what other people think comes into play when she defends a girl named Asami after hearing the other girls gossip about her. One of the things I like about this series is that it doesn’t focus only on the slowly developing romance between Mei and Yamato. The first volume shifts over to showing how Asami and Nakanishi get together, with some surprisingly insightful advice from Mei prompting Nakanishi to actually express his feelings.

The art in the first volume is a bit rough. The poses of the characters are stiff, the proportions are sometimes a bit wonky even by manga standards, and the paneling and backgrounds aren’t that interesting or detailed. But I found myself charmed anyway, just because Hazuki draws such cute faces! The art is something I’d expect to improve a bit as the series continued, and I thought that towards the end of the first volume and start of the second it was starting to look a bit smoother.

Say I Love You Volume 2 by Kanae Hazuki

One of the things that makes Say I Love You a little different from many of the other shoujo series that are translated into English, is that it is a bit more forthright when dealing with issues centering around sex. Asami is bullied because she has a well-developed figure. Aiko has a jealous crush on Yamato, and tries to drive off Mei by pointing out that she’s already slept with him. In some shoujo series this revelation would result in Mei and Yamato being kept apart for a couple chapters at least, but Mei asks him if it is true shortly after she finds out. Yamato explains the circumstances behind his encounter with Aiko as something that he regrets, and they are able to move on.

I enjoyed the bit of backstory Hazuki introduces to explain Mei and Yamato’s personalities. He has direct experience with bullying, when one of his friends was harassed so much that he transferred schools. Mei’s withdrawn nature is a bit more understandable when we see her relationship with her overprotective father, who tragically died young.

Mei slowly begins to transform a bit, growing her hair longer and meeting Yamato’s friend Kakeru, who unlike Yamato uses his popularity to sleep around with as many girls as possible. Aiko convinces him to make a pass at Mei, with predictably disastrous results. Mei abruptly leaves the restaurant, leaving food behind and Yamato immediately knows that Kakeru made a pass at her because her habit is to clean her plate every time she eats at a restaurant. Instead of Kakeru immediately becoming a sleazy villain, the next chapter explores more of his world, and the unending and undemanding devotion of his childhood friend Chiharu who actually appreciates him for reasons that go beyond his superficial popularity.

Overall, I really enjoyed the structure of the plot in Say I Love You, since the extended cast seems to be just as interesting as the main couple. With Kimi Ni Todoke wrapping up, I think Say I Love You would appeal to readers wanting something a little bit similar, but different enough to still be interesting. I bought these volumes on my kindle, and I can see myself investing in more e-book versions of this title as it comes out, for sure.

Manga the Week of 7/16

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SEAN: Mid-month always tends to bring the oddest stuff. Anything unusual here?

First off, Seven Seas apparently delayed the release of Alice in the Country of Clover: Knight’s Knowledge 1 at the last minute, after we went to press. It’s actually out next week.

ANNA: I hope it features Ace murdering people and getting lost in the woods.

SEAN: Fairy Tail hits its mid-life crisis, as the Big 4-0 hits. Will Erza needs to buy a really big car and drive around with the wind blowing through her hair?

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Seven Seas debuts a new series, with the first volume of D-Frag!. This apparently is a high school club comedy, starring one guy and a bunch of weird girls. Despite that, I’ve heard good things about it, as the emphasis is firmly on weird.

There’s also the 2nd Devils and Realist, where I suspect my ongoing enjoyment will hinge on the ridiculous denial our hero continues to exude. Do not disappoint me, manga.

ANNA: I found the ridiculous denial much more amusing than I was expecting with the first volume.

ASH: The first volume was rather amusing.

SEAN: And we have the 6th volume of fantasy/video game encyclopedia pastiche World War Blue.

Vertical gives us a 3rd volume of seinen manga What Did You Eat Yesterday?, which I’m hoping might have a bit more characterization and a bit less cooking this time, but I suspect that’s not in the cards.

MICHELLE: Phew! Finally something on this list that I will be buying for sure!

ANNA: YAY! TAKE MY MONEY, VERTICAL!!!!!!

ASH: Mine, too!

MJ: What they said, plus extra exclamation points! !!!!!!

SEAN: If you didn’t catch the suspense, tragedy, and all around terror from Urasawa’s cult classic Monster, now is the time to pick up the new Perfect Edition omnibuses.

MICHELLE: I’m glad to see this series getting a re-release. I liked it quite a bit!

ANNA: I’m looking over at my stack of unread 20th Century Boys and feeling vaguely guilty.

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MICHELLE: I have a stack just like it, I’m afraid.

ASH: Personally, I like Monster just a bit more than 20th Century Boys. I’m really happy to see it back in print.

MJ: I’m thrilled about this release, since I am one of those who missed it the first time around.

SEAN: And speaking of tragedy, Viz’s new seinen debut is Terra Formars (spelling intentional), a sci-fi story of colonizing Mars which goes horribly, horribly wrong. I’m greatly looking forward to this title, even though I know it will likely gut me a lot of the time.

MICHELLE: I tend to like grim, seinen sci-fi, so I am definitely looking forward to this.

ANNA: This sounds intriguing.

ASH: Terra Formars is a series that I’ve been looking forward to, too. (Plus, I happen to have a thing for Mars…)

MJ: I’m definitely on board with this!

SEAN: What excellent yet depressing manga are you reading this week?

Black Rose Alice, Vol 1

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Black Rose Alice Volume 1 by Setona Mizushiro

I am always happy to read silly paranormal shoujo series, as evidenced by my affection for series like Midnight Secretary and Demon Love Spell. But it is also nice to read some supernatural shoujo that is genuinely creepy, so I’m excited to see the addition of Black Rose Alice to the Shojo Beat lineup. North American readers may already be familiar with Setona Mizushiro through the series After School Nightmare, which was a very surreal series I’ve always regretted not finishing. The first volume of Black Rose Alice shows a unique and visually arresting take on the vampire genre.

The manga starts off by telling the story of Dimitri, an up and coming tenor in 1900s Vienna. He’s been taken in by a wealthy family and given the benefits of education and training that allows him to live in upperclass circles, but he’s still held apart from his adopted family in many ways. Dimitri is in love with Agnieska, the fiancee of his Theodor. Seething with unexpressed emotions, Dimitri gets trampled by a horse and almost dies. A butterfly alights on his prone body. Shortly after he wakes up he sings in a rehearsal, and shortly thereafter all the other musicians start dying in a series of improbable incidents. Dimitri notices a strange rose mark appear on the back of his neck, and a strange man names Maximillian greets Dimitri, telling him “You don’t appear to have noticed…but you are a vampire.”

Vampires in the world of Black Rose Alice are a bit like plants, as the seed of a vampire master implants itself on the fresh corpse of a handsome young man. Maximillian warns Dimitri that he may start exhibiting the personality traits and attitudes of the previous vampire that is now using Dimiri as a vessel. Dimitri scoffs at Maximilian’s advice and later sings a few bars to one of his lovers, who promptly throws herself off a balcony. As Black Rose Alice progresses, the effects of vampirism become more visually arresting. Mizushiro has a great talent for portraying horrific scenes in a surreal and yet oddly delicate way. Dimitri’s transition soon starts to have a terrible impact on the people who surround him. The concluding half of the volume flashes forward to Japan in the year 2008, where a fully vampiric Dimitri entangled himself in the lives of a high school student and his teacher for his own evil vampire reasons.

Black Rose Alice does a great job setting up an intriguing mystery through the contrast between 1900s and 2000s Dimitri, he’s innocent and tormented at first and the cold and dispassionate personalty he exhibits later in the volume represents a stark change. Mizushiro’s art does a great job portraying Dimitri’s personality shift, as well as the elements of visual horror that make the feeding habits of vampires in the world of Black Rose Alice extremely disturbing. Vampires as plants is an unusual twist on the genre, and I would recommend this manga to anyone looking for a unique supernatural shoujo series.

Manga the Week of 7/9

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SEAN: It may not be hot where you are, but Connecticut? It’s hot. Too hot. Can manga save us from the doldrums of summer?

MICHELLE: I am in Florida. Such hot. Very yuck.

MJ: New England, also hot. And stormy. Which sounds sexier than it is.

ANNA: I will be in Central Illinois, which will be hot and humid!

heyclass5SEAN: Digital Manga Publishing has another BL series trundle along, with Vol. 5 of multi-punctuated Hey Class President!!.

Kodansha unveils a slew of July titles. Seven Deadly Sins hits its third volume, and I have no doubt will give us a little more background on the newly-introduced Ban/Greed.

ASH: It took a few chapters to hook me, but at this point I’m looking forward to reading more of Seven Deadly Sins.

SEAN: Sherlock Bones has leapt forward in time to show our leads as adults (or adult dogs) right as the series hits its penultimate volume.

ASH: I was happy to see that the protagonists weren’t going to be stuck in high school forever.

SEAN: Fans of Akamatsu may have been keeping up with UQ Holder via Crunchyroll’s site, but for those who crave print, the 2nd volume also drops next week.

MICHELLE: I wish I had something to say about any of these, but I do not.

MJ: Same.

SEAN: And we have some more goodies from Viz. 07-GHOST has Vol. 11 come out, and I think the Manga Bookshelf team finds itself falling further and further behind?

MICHELLE: Yep. I look at the growing pile on my shelf periodically and remind myself that I need to read it.

ANNA: Me too! It is a really good series, I am looking forward to binging on back issues once I do start reading it.

SEAN: Speaking of impossible catchups, Case Closed is now at Vol. 51.

fmaomnibus8Fullmetal Alchemist is down to its last two omnibuses. If you get all nine, you’ll have the truly essential parts of this manga – which is to say, all of it.

ASH: Fullmetal Alchemist is great!

MJ: Yes, it is! And to Sean’s point, one of the things I love best about it is that, unlike a lot of long-running manga, it is a single, coherent story with a real beginning, middle, and end. Nothing is superfluous, so yes, every volume is essential.

ANNA: I need to finish this series one day! Actually, I think I’ll start by rereading from the beginning.

SEAN: The third Ranma 1/2 omnibus introduces a major antagonist (Cologne); a major antagonist/butt-monkey (Mousse); and a minor yet incredibly irritating thorn in Ranma’s side (Gosunkugi). All this plus the usual Takahashi comedy and non-romance.

And if that’s not enough Takahashi for you, the 15th volume of Rin-Ne drops the same week, forcing unfortunate comparisons between its sedate, mild couple and Ranma 1/2’s violent, boisterous one.

MICHELLE: Some Takahashi sounds awfully appealing right now, actually.

SEAN: What manga cools you down the most?

Bookshelf Briefs 6/30/14

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

arata18Arata: The Legend, Vol. 18 | By Yuu Watase | Viz Media – The central premise of Arata is that a Japanese high school student, Arata Hinohara, has switched places with the Arata of a world called Amawakuni. In this volume, we learn that five of the “six sho,” the most powerful hayagami-wielders whom Hinohara is tasked with defeating, are actually from our world, as well. Not only that, the whole reason they attempted to assassinate the princess in the first place was to fully open the passageways so they can return with their swanky powers “to conquer or destroy.” That’s a pretty intriguing development. Unfortunately, when one of these guys confronts members of Arata’s entourage whom he could easily kill and put this story to an end, he inexplicably decides to turn them into kids instead. Because I guess we needed some hijinks. This lapse in logic dampens my enjoyment of an otherwise possibly significant volume. – Michelle Smith

bloodycross3Bloody Cross, Vol. 3 | By Shiwo Komeyama | Yen Press – Honestly, the plot in this series seems almost irrelevant, which is a good thing as so little actually happens here. But the manga gives its readers what they really want: shots of cool-looking battles, cool-looking heroes, and our heroine snarking at each other. Hinata is absent for most of this volume, so we bring in a new cursed character who fulfills many of the same functions but gets to be a bit goofier. This is a pretty fun, tasty manga when you read it, but it’s light as air – it performs its function and nothing more. That said, hot demons and angels, the occasional cutaway sex scene, and lots of pseudo-religious fantasy… if this sounds good to you, definitely pick this up. – Sean Gaffney

centaur3A Centaur’s Life, Vol. 3 | By Kei Murayama | Seven Seas – To a certain degree, much of A Centaur’s Life could have been written with normal humans as a normal 4-koma. We’d see a bunch of rambunctious kids trying to amuse themselves without getting in trouble, a kindergartener enduring bullying and helping her nursery school schoolmates, etc. But they’d be much duller, as it’s the frisson of oddness that makes this series readable. Seeing all the centaur/dragon girl/sheep girl etc. days in the life, watching what television programs are like in a world like this, that sort of thing. The manga still feels awkward a lot, but it’s beginning to improve. And the cliffhanger, involving a new transfer student, promises a lot of change for the next volume. – Sean Gaffney

magi6Magi, Vol. 6 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – What does it mean to be a ruler – and does everyone have what it takes? From the moment Sinbad appeared in this manga, it was clear that he was a natural-born leader, confident in his abilities and there to lend support to those who need it. This is why he is NOT the main character of this manga. Instead we have Alibaba, taking the spotlight with Aladdin unconscious for most of the volume, who spends much of his time wrestling with doubts and fears. Even Sinbad isn’t sure Alibaba can be what’s needed right now. But Morgiana believes in him, and we slowly start to see his love of the people and desire to fight injustice come to the fore. Development of characters like Alibaba is why Magi is still a riveting read. – Sean Gaffney

phantom2Phantom Thief Jeanne, Vol. 2 | By Arina Tanemura | Viz Media – In this volume of Phantom Thief Jeanne the reader gets a bit more of Maron and Chiaki’s tumultuous relationship issues, as well as a bit of back story as Maron deals with her abandonment by her parents, a plot device that will never really make sense to me. Chiaki’s father is next on the demon possession hit list, and Jeane manages to rescue him despite the danger of being transformed into a life-sized creepy doll. Everything calms down a little bit, but Maron next has to deal with all of the girls who are showering Chiaki with chocolate on Valentine’s Day! Towards the end of the volume Jeanne gets even more power, so it will be interesting to see if the demons she battles will be even more menacing. There’s a nice side story featuring Miyako that examines why she is so obsessed with catching Jeanne, and shows how much importance she places on her friendship with Maron. Overall, a great second volume for this series, I’m really enjoying having an excuse to read it again in this new edition! – Anna N

sayiloveyou2Say I Love You., Vol. 2 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – My verdict for volume one of Say I Love You. was “It’s kind of great,” and I’m happy to report that it applies to volume two, as well. The main strength of the series is in the characterization. “Prickly loner” Mei Tachibana is falling more in love with her popular boyfriend, Yamato Kurosawa—gradually allowing herself to trust him and feeling like a woman for the first time. And Yamato isn’t as idealized as many shoujo love interests (though he does rescue a litter of abandoned kittens). Contrasted against them are Hayakawa, a guy from an unhappy family background who pursues warmth in a series of fleeting physical encounters while avoiding acknowledging the feelings of the one girl who actually loves him, and Aiko, whose image issues and history with Yamato render her much more complex than your typical antagonist. I’m really enjoying watching this story unfold. Definitely recommended! – Michelle Smith

toriko22Toriko, Vol. 22 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – Another transitional volume, as we finish the end of the fight with Chiyo and then transition to a threat to the entire human world, as the Four Basts have awoken and love to eat humans. (How apropos in a series like Toriko,) The cover features more of the top Gourmet Hunters in the world, who get shown off to us in one huge scene and who I hope we’re not supposed to actually remember in the future. Mostly, though, this is fighting, eating, ans shonen idiocy, as Zebra deliberately turns off the message to our heroes about the Four Beasts right as it was going to tell them vital information. I therefore expect the fights they’re all having to have a nasty twist come the next volume. – Sean Gaffney

voiceover5Voice Over! Seiyu Academy, Vol. 5 | By Maki Minami | Viz Media – Given how much of Special A was devoted to love and romance, and the frustrations thereof, it’s actually quite refreshing to see that the heart takes a back seat to the career here, as Senri is almost entirely absent here. Instead, we deal with the trials of voice acting, as Hime is still not doing particularly well, but is also now dealing with two stars’ rivalry – both over their star qualities and over Hime, who they both have crushes on (despite her pretending to be a boy – I didn’t say romance was ENTIRELY absent). As with Special A, though, and indeed many other shoujo series, our heroine gets by by being extra shiny, nice, earnest and all around great. Now, can we bring the male lead back into the story? – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: My Love Story!!

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mylovestory1SEAN: There’s one obvious title that really leaps out this week: My Love Story!!. Anything from the High School Debut creator is worth a read, the premise sounds terrific, and even the cover is funny. Can’t wait for more silly shoujo.

ASH: My Love Story!! is my obvious pick this week as well. I haven’t read High School Debut, but thanks to an early shipment I’ve already read the first volume of My Love Story!!. It may very well be one of my favorite debuts of the year; I loved it.

MICHELLE: I have proclaimed my love for High School Debut for a long time, so I am beyond excited for My Love Story!!.

ANNA: I’m not going to go against the general trend here. I’m also looking forward to My Love Story!!

MJ: It was Michelle who hooked me on High School Debut several years ago, and it’s been a while since I’ve gleefully anticipated a new shoujo series to this extent, so you can count me on board for My Love Story!! as well!

What looks good to you this week?