Anna N

Manga the Week of 7/2

June 26, 2014 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, MJ, Michelle Smith and Anna N 3 Comments

SEAN: It’s not QUITE as bad as last month’s pile, but there’s a ton of things out the first week in July. Let’s to’t.

Dark Horse continues to give us omnibuses showcasing Lone Wolf & Cub in larger trim size and far more pages. Here’s the fifth.

ASH: Excellent! I’ve been needing to do a binge read of Lone Wolf & Cub and the omnibuses make that much easier.

MJ: I’m always happy to see more of these!

SEAN: Six volumes is an awfully long time for a Blue Sheep Reverie from DMP. Maybe the sheep should come out of it soon.

MICHELLE: *snerk* I actually kind of liked this one—at least it tried to have a plot—but just sort of drifted away from it. I’m glad it continues to exist.

SEAN: And another ‘we’re not just BL!’ title from DMP, as they put out the first volume of seinen dog-focused manga Kinokoinu – Mushroom Pup, which runs in Comic Ryu (home of A Centaur’s Life), and involves a man who can’t get over the death of his pet dog.

MJ: That sounds… heartbreaking.

Seven Seas has a quartet of titles dropping. Knight’s Knowledge is a Country of Clover title from the Alice franchise. It stars Ace. I’ve found titles where Ace is supporting are much better than titles starring him, but maybe this will be different.

ANNA: It probably says something about me that Ace is my favorite because he is so murderous. I haven’t read any of his solo titles, maybe I will give this a try.

The new series from SS this month is Arpeggio of Blue Steel, which runs in Young King Ours, home of Excel Saga and Hellsing. I warn you in advance, this is another ‘sentient warfare/battleships shown as cute girls’ series. That said, I’ve heard this one is a slight cut above the usual fare, so we’ll see what it brings to the table.

Haganai is a popular series, both here and in Japan, so it makes sense that we’d see a few of the spinoff manga. Now With 50% More Fail is apparently filled with cute comedic one-shots that don’t impact the plot (such as it is).

Lastly, The Sacred Blacksmith continues to nudge its way forward towards its own main plot, here with Vol. 5.

Flowers of Evil 10 is a good 3 volumes over what I expected it to be, but hey, more creepy arty manga is always welcome, even if I dropped the series ages ago. Others here like it, right?

ASH: I do, indeed! The series seems to get better and better with each arc.

MJ: Indeed!

SEAN: The rest is Viz. They’re still giving readers of D.Gray-Man a chance to see it again, with the 4th 3-in-1 due out.

Demon Love Spell features what I believe is the 6th and final volume, and therefore I suspect will finally have a love scene that takes place in the *real* world, unless Mayu Shinjo has been corralled by the Margaret editorial department.

MICHELLE: Will Miko become more powerful than her dad and break his spell so she can get it on with her boyfriend?!

ANNA: I think this is the series where Shinjo effectively blends the sexy angst that was the trademark of her earlier series like Sensual Phrasewith the comedy stylings of Ai Ore. I’ve really enjoyed this series, and I hope Viz has another Shinjo series waiting in the wings.

MJ: I have fallen behind on this series, and am feeling very regretful!

SEAN: Midnight Secretary is almost over, this being the penultimate volume, so no doubt things will get far more serious and dangerous for our vampire and human couple.

ANNA: EEEEEEEE, Midnight Secretary!!!!!!!!

MJ: Heeeeee.

SEAN: Viz’s new shoujo series, My Love Story!!, is one I’ve been looking forward to. By the author of High School Debut, it’s about a guy who longs for a shoujo romance (and this is a shoujo title), despite looking like your typical big, burly, not bishonen at all guy. His struggle begins here.

MICHELLE: I am looking forward to this so much!

ANNA: This sounds great. Planning on picking this up!

ASH: My copy arrived early and I’ve already read it and I loved it and Takeo is the best!

MJ: I am so on board with this.

SEAN: Naruto hits Vol. 66. Be careful! That’s the Third Cousin Once Removed of the Beast!

Nisekoi drops the print volume of Vol. 4. Will it continue to juggle the girls it has, or add a new one to the mix? The eternal question of every harem title.

Phantom Thief Jeanne has Vol. 3, and I suspect things will get even more serious soon, given we’re just about halfway through this omnibus-ish rerelease.

MICHELLE: I’m enjoying this quite a lot.

ANNA: This is my favorite Tanemura series. I’m glad it is getting reissued with an updated translation.

SEAN: Speaking of omnibuses, though not ish in this case, Skip Beat! has its 8th omnibus pop up as well.

MICHELLE: Yay, Skip Beat! Now if only the next standalone volume would hurry up and come out!

ANNA: Skip Beat! is the best.

SEAN: Sweet Rein comes to an end with its third volume, ending inappropriately enough in mid-summer. Expect more Santa and reindeer antics.

ANNA: This was sweet and cute, if not very deep.

MJ: I can’t say that I’m sad to see it go. Does that make me a grinch?

SEAN: Lastly, there is a Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal 5, which I can’t even make jokes about. Here it is, Yu-Gi-Oh fans.

What’s tickling your fancy?

Pick of the Week: Favorites & Fallbacks

June 24, 2014 by Ash Brown, Sean Gaffney, MJ, Anna N and Michelle Smith 2 Comments

ASH: Despite the variety of the manga being released this week, there aren’t many that I’m actively following with one exception: the debut volume of Attack on Titan: No Regrets (which I was happy to receive an early copy for review). Currently the only explicitly shoujo version of Attack on Titan, the series is the origin story of two of the most popular (and possibly most frequently shipped) characters, Erwin and Levi. It’s also pretty great; I’m looking forward to reading the next and final volume.

SEAN: No Regrets is excellent, but since it’s been picked, I’ll go with the new Sword Art Online:Fairy Dance manga volume. An adaptation of the novel due out in December, it’s apparently quite divisive, adding a harem element back to the story after being theoretically removed when Kirito and Asuna got together, and placing Asuna out of the action for a good chunk. We will see what it can bring to the table.

MJ: I’m firmly with Sean this week. Though I’m looking forward to the novel with more verve, I’m still interested in the manga adaptation of Sword Art Online: Fairy Dance. The second arc is likely to prickle my inner feminist somewhat, much as its anime adaptation did, but I like these characters and am looking forward to seeing how they are handled by the manga.

ANNA: I have to admit, there isn’t that much that appeals to me that is coming out this week. So I’ll go with one of the manga that’s on the top of my “to-read” pile, Vinland Saga Volume 3! What warm June day isn’t improved by manly Vikings pillaging things?

MICHELLE: I’m in the same boat as Anna this week, so I’ll go back a couple of weeks and pick one I skipped in favor of Tiger & Bunny—the second volume of Say I Love You.. I’ve enjoyed these new shoujo series from Kodansha, and this is what’s presently on top of my to-read pile.

What looks good to you this week?

Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign Vol 1

June 22, 2014 by Anna N

Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign Volume 1 by Takaya Kagami, Yamato Yamamoto, and Daisuke Furuya

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I highly enjoy vampire manga, so I was looking forward to checking out Seraph of the End. I think this series is a manga spin-off of a light novel series set in the same world. I was expecting more detailed world building from this manga, and I wasn’t disappointed. The series starts off by introducing a dystopian society where a virus has destroyed adults, leaving behind vampires and the young children they use as a blood bank. Yuchiro Hyakuya is the brash young hero who spends most of his time researching vampire lore and attempting to make himself stronger so he can fight back against his captors. His best friend and adoptive brother Mikeala is a bit sneakier, outwardly appeasing his vampire masters in order to gather useful intelligence. When Mikeala finds a map indicating a pathway to the surface, the orphans band together and try to make a break for the outside, only to find out that it was all a set-up. Yuchiro’s siblings are killed by vampires, and Mikeala is mortally wounded and urges his brother to continue the escape attempt. Yuchiro makes it up to the surface of the earth only to discover that it looks vastly different from what he was taught to expect.

Yuchiro is promptly picked up by the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, a vampire fighting paramilitary organization, and enrolled in a school. Several years later he’s older but still in the same mental space – eager to fight vampires, not following orders, and not yet finding his place in the world. Guren Ichinose, a Lieutenant Commander in the Army says that Yuchiro can’t progress and function as a vampire hunter until he is actually able to demonstrate that he gets along with his classmates. Towards the end of the volume Yuchiro has made some progress in his number of vampires killed, as well as beginning to form some bonds of friendship with his monitor Shinoa and his classmate Yoichi. Overall, I was impressed with the amount of ground Seraph of the End managed to cover in one volume. Yuchiro’s world and back story were set up, we see his character progress a bit both in terms of fighting demons and gaining a tiny bit more emotional maturity.

The art is clear and easy to follow, except I thought the character designs for Yuchiro and Yoichi were a bit too similar. Sometimes I had to doublecheck and read back a bit to remind myself who was who. While Yuchiro is very much the typical shonen hero, his back story is filled in here and there with flashbacks, which helped a lot in terms of explaining his motivations. I found the supporting cast interesting too. Guren Ichinose (the main character in the light novels) shows up and demonstrates his badass vampire fighting abilities at key points, and Shinoa as the main female character is both snarky and weird. I also enjoyed the power imbalance between her and Yuchiro, since serves as a bit of an instructor and is keeping track of his behavior improvements to report back on to command. Overall, I found this first volume enjoyable and am looking forward to the second. I can see this series easily appealing to fans of Blue Exorcist, or even (a bit of a stretch) Full Metal Alchemist, since there are some similar plot elements and themes shared by all three series. Definitely recommended if you’re looking for a solid shonen vampire series to try!

Pick of the Week: Old Favorites & New

June 16, 2014 by MJ, Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown and Anna N 1 Comment

MJ: Though I’m interested in a few of this week’s releases, including the latest from the author of Girl Friends, I’m unable to restrain myself from recommending the second omnibus volume of CLAMP’s xxxHolic. These volumes are some of my favorites in the early series, responsible for much laughter, tears, and for my everlasting Watanuki/Doumeki ‘shipping (seriously, if you are not on board by the end of volume six, there’s no help for you). In fact, I think I must reread them in honor of this release. If you never picked up this gorgeous and occasionally maddening series, now is your chance!

SEAN: I’ll chime in here, then, and make Gakuen Polizi my pick for this week. It’s got a lot of things that people like Morinaga Milk for: yuri tease (though a lot less than Girl Friends, obviously), broad comedy between an outgoing young girl and her more introverted friend, and of course high school antics (even though our leads are technically police officers). Sometimes you just want to read something FUN. This should fit the bill nicely.

MICHELLE: I’m going to have to cast my vote for the xxxHOLiC omnibus, too. Especially since this reissue will give me the opportunity to pick up the final few volumes of the series that I originally missed!

ASH: Vertical’s deluxe release of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin is always worth mentioning, but my pick of the week actually goes to Battle Royale: Angels’ Border. In addition to a new translation of the original novel and The Battle Royale Slam Book (which was great), the manga makes the third Battle Royale release from Viz this year.

ANNA: Since no one else is picking Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, I’ll have to go with that! Civil war! Mecha! Space! Char Aznable being evil! Seriously, what else does a reader need?

What looks good to you this week?

Manga the Week of 6/18

June 12, 2014 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ 1 Comment

SEAN: It’s no Week 1, but the 3rd week of the month gives us a chunky pile of manga, which should have something for most everyone.

The Shinji Ikari Raising Project manga from Dark Horse has now reached the same number of volumes as the regular Evangelion manga, and I don’t think it’s finished. Will this lighter take on the Evaverse surpass its predecessor? …mmmm, probably not. But it’s fun.

I swear I’ve had Alice the 101st Vol. 4 coming out from DMP before this week. But in any case, here it is again, and I suspect I will be confused all the way to Vol. 101.

MICHELLE: I forgot this series existed.

SEAN: I enjoyed Vol. 1 of Hentai Prince and the Stony Cat, which came out right before DMP’s print hiatus. Now that it’s back, I look forward to seeing what wacky comedy Vol. 2 can give us, especially since the anime has now come and gone.

Fairy Tail has hit its Jack Benny volume, and I am starting to fall behind. I believe this is one of the more serious volumes. Lotsa harsh battle scenes. (Vol. 39, for those of you who are wondering what the hell I’m talking about.)

There’s also the 7th volume of No. 6, which simply ruins the symmetry and makes me bitter. So bitter. Why must manga be numbered anyway? Manga should be free!

ASH: The beautiful symmetry may have been ruined, but this is one of the best volumes in the series yet!

SEAN: The 2nd xxxHOLIC omnibus has some really excellent stories, and a minimal amount of crossover with Tsubasa. Neither of those two will last.

ANNA: I feel sort of bad that I never finished either xxxHOLIC or Tsubasa, and then I remember how long they are and I feel OK with it all.

MICHELLE: I didn’t finish them either, actually. But I intend to one of these days!

ASH: And the omnibus releases make it easier than ever!

MJ: I feel somewhat out of place here admitting that I finished them both, and with great enthusiasm! I’m very happy to see these omnibus releases coming out.

SEAN: In case you thought Seven Seas had put out everything Dance in the Vampire Bund-related, here are some Forgotten Tales. Probably fell behind the desk or something.

Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends hits the 7th volume of wacky comedy with Kodaka and the friends he insists he doesn’t have.

I’m a big fan of Morinaga Milk, author of Girl Friends, so am looking forward to the new series from Seven Seas, Gakuen Polizi. Which is not translated as School Police, for reasons why I do not know. I don’t think this one’s yuri, but I bet it’s cute.

ASH: I’ve enjoyed the other manga by Morinaga released in English, so I’m looking forward to this series’ debut.

MJ: Same here!

SEAN: The Sky That Connects Us is the next in the Strike Witches franchise, and will give you lots of cute girls and aerial battles, but less pants than most series.

Vertical’s deluxe release of Mobile Suit Gundam hits its 6th collection, which I believe may be the halfway point? In any case, still essential.

ANNA: So deluxe! I’ve been buying these as they come out but am a couple volumes behind. I see a Gundam reading binge in my future.

MICHELLE: Much mecha.

ASH: I believe this volume will once again feature a fair amount of Char, which pleases me greatly.

SEAN: Lastly, Viz has the Battle Royale: Angels’ Border manga, which ran in Akita Shoten’s Young Champion and focuses on six girls who got short shrift in the main series.

ASH: As a fan of the original novel, I’ve been enjoying the recent Battle Royale releases from Viz, so I’m happy to see this one, too.

SEAN: Is there something here that appeals to you?

Bookshelf Briefs 6/9/14

June 9, 2014 by Sean Gaffney, Anna N and Michelle Smith Leave a Comment

This week, Sean, Anna, & Michelle look at recent releases from Kodansha Comics, Digital Manga Publishing, and Viz Media.

Cage of Eden, Vol. 14 | By Yoshinobu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – We’ve moved past the ‘everyone is fighting against horrible prehistoric animals’ stage of the manga, and the ‘everyone is bathing naked in rivers so you can see their breasts’ stage has at least lessened (the biggest fanservice moment in this volume is for the ladies, as Yarai shows off his manly naked body). So now we seem to be at the ‘actually trying to figure out what’s going on’ stage, as Sengoku and company explore the depths of a pyramid filled with death traps, surprisingly Japanese-made machinery, and even more giant stuff that makes no sense – plants this time. I’m not sure there’s any explanation that justifies all the buildup, but this is still a lot of good shonen fun. -Sean Gaffney

Gangsta, Vol. 2 | By Kohske | Viz Media – This volume develops a bit on the first, teasing us with a little more backstory regarding Nic and Worick and their respective backgrounds. There’s also a lot more worldbuilding, as we meet some rival families and groups who will no doubt continue to influence events. Mostly, though, it’s a volume that shows us just how terrible and knife-edge everyone’s lives are at the moment – violence runs rampant throughout, there’s tons of casualties, Nic goes into a drug-induced berzerker rampage, and even Ally, who spends almost the entire volume staying at the office, is having drug-induced hallucinations leading to psychotic breaks. If you like Black Lagoon but thought it was too cheery, Gangsta is right up your alley. – Sean Gaffney

Itazura Na Kiss, Vol. 10 | By Kaoru Tada | Digital Manga Publishing – This volume is an excellent one for showing us how far we’ve come since the first. Yes, Kotoko can still be shallow and aggravating, and Naoki can be heartless and insensitive. But it’s almost in the minority by now, as they deal with fresh new crises; the birth of her friend Satomi’s child, visiting her mother’s embarrassing family (who all have so many stories to tell her new husband), and dealing with Naoki deciding he has to intern in Kobe in order to better specialize (in pediatrics, god help those children). I’ve described Itazura Na Kiss as a bitter coffee of a manga, but the coffee now has milk and sugar in it, and the bitterness is mostly knowing it’s about to be cut short by the author’s death. – Sean Gaffney

Kimi Ni Todoke, Vol. 19 | By Karuho Shiina | Viz Media – I was a little grumpy about a third of the way through this volume, as Kento really is being a little too perfect to be realistic. But then, so is the rest of the cast, if I want to be honest. And it dawned on me that there’s nothing particularly wrong with that. This is a manga filled with nice people having quiet, gentle moments with each other. The only real conflict comes at the end, when Kazehaya’s controlling father shows up to provide a cliffhanger. Everything else is just heartwarming, sweet, and adorable moments. Even Pin, who does get to be goofily obnoxious, gets a sweet, heartwarming backstory here. I should stop trying to make this title more than what it is – just the nicest manga you’ll ever read. – Sean Gaffney

Millennium Snow, Vol. 3 | By Bisco Hatori | Viz Media – Perhaps the best and worst thing I could say about the continuation of Millennium Snow (after a ten-year hiatus) is that it reminds me of Hatori’s much more famous series, Ouran High School Host Club. Remember those episodic chapters in Ouran where the gang would try to help a schoolmate with their problems? That’s basically what’s going on in this volume, as a seemingly cold-hearted nurse turns out to be nurturing guilt over the death of her child and a bullied girl befriends an injured supernatural beastie that feeds on the power of words. It’s kind of dull. However! Ouran also had a sense of humor that appealed to me, and I found myself giggling a couple of times in this volume, namely at the image of an immortal vampire’s hesitant first encounter with a stapler and the notion of his bat servant hastening to the supermarket because “Eggs is on sale!” So, in the end, not the best ever, but I’ll read the fourth and final volume anyway. – Michelle Smith

My Little Monster, Vol. 2 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – It’s not that the plot of My Little Monster is new and original—it is, after all, a romance manga—but I think the characterization of the protagonist, Shizuku Mizutani, is nicely done. As we begin the volume, she’s been rejected by former wild child Haru but has declared she’ll make him fall for her. Unfortunately, she has no idea how to do this, and proceeds to be her usual prickly self even while helping him out of various troublesome situations. Eventually a new character, Oshima, falls for Haru too, and Shizuku is so distracted by this that her schoolwork begins to suffer. She decides that anything that detracts from securing a stable future is unnecessary, which of course coincides with Haru seemingly realizing that he does fancy her after all. It’s a lot better than this synopsis makes it sound, and Oshima is intriguing in her own right. Plus, there is a chicken! – Michelle Smith

Sweet Rein, Vol 3 | By Sakura Tsukuba | Viz Media – If Sweet Rein has a fault, it is that it can sometimes be a tiny bit too sweet at times, but anyone who enjoyed the first two volumes of this series about a teen girl Santa and her handsome bonded transforming boy/reindeer will enjoy the third volume. The volumes follow a fairly predictable pattern of going through the seasons as the characters stubbornly refuse to age. Kurumi has to deal with Kaito during the spring, when all the reindeer have spring fever and become even more irresistible. A reindeer whose master has left him behind fixates on Kurumi in an unhealthy matter, and Kaito finally is driven to actually express a preference in a way that influences Kurumi’s behavior. This is a fun vacation read, as it isn’t terribly demanding on the reader! There’s also a bonus story from Tsukuba’s CMX series Penguin Revolution included in this volume, and I enjoyed being able to dip back into that series as well. This is light romance shoujo at its fluffiest. – Anna N.

Tiger & Bunny, Vol. 5 |By Mizuki Sakakibara, et al. | Viz Media – I haven’t exactly been complimentary in my previous reviews of Tiger & Bunny, citing an inability to connect with the lead duo, but something has really clicked for me in these past few volumes. True, the story still flows swiftly, but it also does so with admirable clarity, focusing mostly on action but without forgetting to flesh out the characters. Not only does Barnabas come to trust Kotetsu more as his partner, which is nice to see and handled in a “show don’t tell” kind of way, but we also learn more about several of the supporting Heroes and how they feel about their responsibilities and each other. The plot, involving a villainous organization responsible for killing Barnabas’ parents, may not be the most riveting thing ever, but seeing this proud guy accept help in figuring things out is enough to keep me interested. I am finally on board! – Michelle Smith

Manga the Week of 6/11

June 5, 2014 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, MJ, Ash Brown and Anna N Leave a Comment

SEAN: After this week’s deluge, the six books coming out next week feel like a mild summer breeze in comparison. Makes me feel fine.

MICHELLE: Okay, Seals.

SEAN: Kodansha has the second volume of Say “I Love You”. It runs in Dessert, which is technically shoujo in the same way that Shoujo Comic is technically shoujo, but there really is an awful lot of nudity and sex in this volume, so it really edges towards josei a lot more than My Little Monster (which runs in the same magazine).

MJ: I haven’t delved into this series, but I’m interested. Though I can’t decide whether all the nudity and sex is a plus or a minus. :D

MICHELLE: I liked the first volume, and I have a feeling the second will wring all the dramatic potential out of its sex scenes. So… probably a plus. :)

ASH: I also liked the first volume and am interested in seeing where it leads.

ANNA: This series hasn’t been on my radar before, but now I find myself intrigued.

SEAN: SubLime has quieted down a bit, but they’re still giving us some top quality BL. Vol. 4 of Crimson Spell has almost the same cover situation as Vols. 1-3, and I like to imagine that the entire title is just 800 pages of one man slowly taking the shirt off of his lover and nothing else. With many stern, dangerous looks passing between them.

ASH: I need to catch up with Crimson Spell now that we’ve made it past what was previously released in English. I suspect more happens than just a loss of a shirt, though.

ANNA: I keep meaning to check this out. One day!

SEAN: There’s Vol. 18 of Arata the Legend, which is now in terms of length Watase’s most successful series, though I suspect it has a ways to go before it catches up to Fushigi Yuugi’s obsessive fanbase.

And there’s Vol. 3 of Deadman Wonderland, whose cover is trying to exude cool, but isn’t quite getting there for me.

MJ: Same here, though I’m still giving it a chance.

SEAN: Magi has Vol. 6, and has barely begun to mine The Arabian Nights for characters and plots, so we are no doubt in for a long ride. Can’t wait.

MJ: I’ve finally caught up on some of this series, so I’m looking forward to more!

MICHELLE: Whereas I am somewhat behind, but I really did like the first couple of volumes.

SEAN: Lastly, Tiger & Bunny 5 catches us up with Japan, which means the next one could be a while. That said, this fandom knows how to create its own content, so I suspect they’ll be fine.

What manga is blowing through the jasmine of your mind?

MICHELLE: *snerk*

Bookshelf Briefs 6/2/14

June 2, 2014 by Michelle Smith, Sean Gaffney and Anna N 1 Comment

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

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 15 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – Nanami has gone back in time to try to find the source of a curse that’s affecting Tomoe in the present. She’s pretty vigilant about not interfering in the bond between Tomoe and Yukiji, the human woman he once loved, with the timey-wimey result that she ends up being the reason such a bond exists in the first place. My favorite part of the volume, though, is when she meets up with Akura-Oh, a yokai who knows Tomoe and has a fondness for canned peaches. Akura-Oh is blunt and honest, and it seems like maybe she can get through to him a bit, until the stark truth of his yokai nature reveals itself and Nanami is forced to flee. A couple of side stories—about underwear and Tomoe becoming a feel-copping drunk—round out the volume, and though they be fluffy, they’re also pretty fun. I continue to enjoy this series. – Michelle Smith

Kimi Ni Todoke, Vol. 19 | By Kahruo Shiina | Viz Media – One of the things that I’ve always enjoyed about this series is the way it takes standard shoujo plot elements and makes them seem fresh and adorable just due to the strength of characterization Shiina has built up in her ensemble cast. Sawako and her friends celebrate the new year in a slightly different way, as everyone has paired off into couples. Everyone is starting to think about their plans for what to do after graduation, and Sawako and Shota have some decisions to make that will likely affect their future. This is one of those shoujo series that is a perfect comfort read. – Anna N

My Little Monster, Vol. 2 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – In general I’m used to shoujo romances with one relatively normal person and one eccentric/broken/inaccessible type, so it’s refreshing to see My Little Monster focus equally on how screwed up both halves of our main couple are. Haru right now seems more easily rehabilitated – he still has a hair-trigger temper, but just smiling goes a long way for him. Shizuku, however, is likely going to take a lot longer, and flashbacks to her rather depressing childhood set things up for a cliffhanger that’s almost a mirror reverse of the last one. Add to this a well-thought out rival arriving, and a healthy dose of humor (mostly provided by Asako), and you have a second volume that builds nicely on the first. -Sean Gaffney

One Piece, Vol. 71 | By Eiichiro Oda | Viz Media – Luffy’s alliance with fellow pirate Trafalgar Law has opened up some really interesting directions for the story! In the long term, Law and Luffy are planning to take down one of the Four Emperors, which is the first time Luffy’s gone after a specific target in his bid to become King of the Pirates. Suddenly it all feels a bit more serious! In the short term, Law has brokered a deal with one of the warlords of the sea, which involves a prisoner exchange… more new territory for the Straw Hats. And while that’s going down, various members of the crew get swept up in various local goings on, which is pretty typical, but somehow the ideas Oda’s come up with feel fresh and new. Fresh and new on volume 71?! Yes, indeed. This is why One Piece is simply not to be missed! – Michelle Smith

Say “I Love You”, Vol. 2 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – Unlike My Little Monster, which is basically pure shoujo, there’s no mistake that Say “I Love You” skews to an older audience. There’s a lot of sex happening here, mostly casual one-nighters to satisfy teenage urges. Of course, it’s there to contrast with the innocence of our heroine – both of the characters who are seeing doing this are noted to be quite unhappy or hollow inside, and Yamato regrets what he once did. In fact, the focus on playboy Kakeru and bitter rival Aiko are the best parts of this volume, with neither one being reduced to a cardboard cutout. Now we just need to work on Mei – look at that cover, that is not someone who’s a happy camper. Recommended for older teens and josei smut fans. – Sean Gaffney

The Wallflower, Vol. 32 | By Tomoko Hayakawa | Kodansha Comics – Given that nothing has really progressed in the last twenty volumes or so, it’s not a surprise to hear that this volume reads a lot like a Greatest Hits LP. There’s a chapter where Sunako backslides and hides in her room with her horror stuff; one where Ranmaru’s playboy antics are contrasted with the pure love of Tamao; Sunako helping a ballet club as their ancient disaster of a club room is haunted; and Kyohei undergoing his own Sunako-esque transformation, becoming an innocent scholar who hates violence. This is fun, with lots of humor and some amusing visuals. But there is no one reading this for anything but the humor or the pretty boys anymore – romance fans have abandoned ship. – Sean Gaffney

What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Vol. 2 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | Vertical, Inc. – Given I was getting into the world and characters in volume one, I hadn’t paid as much attention to all the food preparation. I certainly did more with this volume, as every single chapter features extended cooking with recipes read aloud, which takes up over half the book. It may not quite be a foodie manga, but it’s as near as dammit. As for the characters, Shiro was somewhat less aggravating this time around – he’s more fun to read when he’s suffering, as the author has realized – and I liked the intro of ‘older than she looks’ coworker Shino. Mostly, though, this title is for two types of readers; those who love food, and those who love Yoshinaga’s works. Both will find it satisfying. – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Buy all the things?

June 2, 2014 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ 1 Comment

SEAN: There’s so much stuff coming out this week that it’s simply impossible to narrow it down. So I apologize to the 87 other Shojo Beat titles I’m passing up this time. But I have to go with the 2nd volume of Shigeru Mizuki’s Showa, which does a fantastic job of showing just how appalling and grueling to everyone involved the Second World War really was, and also what a personal toll it took on Mizuki himself, even if he does try to present it as comedically as possible. One of the best manga history/biographies I’ve ever read.

MICHELLE: I, too, have had a hard time making a pick this week. I narrowed it down to two, but in the end the 16th volume of Natsume’s Book of Friends (thoroughly excellent though it truly is) got edged out by volume 71 of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece. I mean, the fact that it’s still genuinely fun and exciting at volume freakin’ 71 surely qualifies it as a masterpiece, right?!

ASH: Well, since Sean has Showa covered, I think I’ll take this opportunity to pick one of this week’s debut titles: New Lone Wolf & Cub. Same author but with a different illustrator than the original, I know a lot of people who are excited for this series.

ANNA: There are so many good things coming out this week! I think I’ll have to highlight the rerelease of Millennium Snow just because it is so rare for a mangaka to go back and finish an unfinished series. (Excuse me for a minute while I give CLAMP the stinkeye over X/1999). I enjoyed Millennium Snow when it first came out, so the new omnibus followed by a third volume sounds like a treat to me.

MJ: I’m interested in pretty much everything that’s been mentioned so far, and had figured I’d put my vote behind the long-awaited third volume of Millennium Snow. But since Anna has taken care of that so nicely, I’ll give a little shout-out to the latest volume of Vertical’s Knights of Sidonia. I’ve been a fan of this beautifully-drawn, emotionally frenetic series since the beginning, and I’m always thrilled to pick up a new volume.

What looks good to you this week?

The Darkest Night Vol 1

May 31, 2014 by Anna N

The Darkest Night Vol 1 by Earithen and Gena Showalter

available at: https://www.emanga.com/detail?itemid=1397

Usually when I read Harlequin manga, I haven’t read the books they’ve been adapted from, but in this case I have read a few volumes of Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series before trying out the manga adaptation. As you might expect from the title, this is a contemporary paranormal romance. Ashlyn is hanging out in Hungary, intrigued by local rumors that angels live in a mysterious castle in the woods. She’s tormented by her psychic abilities and is seeking peace. She’s been alone almost all her life due to her psychic powers, and was raised as a bit of a lab rat as opposed to growing up with a normal family. Alone in the woods, Ashiyn encounters a tall, dark, brooding, and handsome man who seems to enjoy lurking about while carrying a variety of weaponry. Ashlyn thinks that Maddox is extremely hot despite the blood he is splattered with, and she notices that the voices in her head go quiet when she’s near him. True love!!!!

Maddox takes Ashlyn back to his castle, only for her to discover that his large group of roommates are also equally hot and tormented. It turns out that they are suffering various eternal conditions due to a curse, and each embody a negative so Maddox has to be chained up and killed every night, only to be resurrected the following day. Even for someone familiar with the source material, there’s too much backstory to be contained in just one manga volume, and the explanations of the Hunters the Lords of the Underworld fight, the women that tempt them, and something about Pandora’s box sort of derail any forward momentum with the plot and make the motivations of the characters a bit opaque. I don’t remember this being quite as much of an issue in the novel, so I think it is just very difficult to shoehorn that much worldbuilding into the number of pages allowed by the manga format.

The adaptation by Earithen is good, with distinct character designs for all the Lords of the Underworld. Maddox looks appropriately tormented and Ashlyn is charming and innocent. I was amused by the number of panels where Maddox totes Ashlyn around by balancing her on one of his arms. There are a few panels here and there with awkward poses, but for the most part the art is better than usual for a Harlequin manga adaptation. I feel like generally historical or contemporary Harlequin manga get translated into English a bit more often than paranormals, so it is nice to see emanga branching out a bit more into various romance subgenres.

Shojo Beat Quick Takes – Midnight Secretary Vol 6 and Dengeki Daisy Vol 14

May 30, 2014 by Anna N

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Midnight Secretary Vol 6 by Tomu Ohmi

This volume of Midnight Secretary shows the relationship between Kaya and her vampire boss Kyohei on firmer footing, but the manipulations of the vampire clan start to interfere with the couple. Kyohei takes Kaya to a party as his date, and there’s a bit of unexpected fallout from the action. Kyohei’s vampire mother shows up to warn Kaya off of becoming involved in a human/vampire relationship. Kaya has a bit of a pregnancy scare, and she’s worried about what would happen if she had a vampire baby, because the vampire clan would swoop in and claim any vampire child as one of their own. It turns out that Kaya’s not pregnant and Kyohei tells her that he has no intention of marrying her or having children with her, simply because of the way their relationship would be stressed with outside interference as soon as it takes on the appearance of being serious. While he doesn’t want Kaya to be manipulated by the vampire clan, she’s soon deluged with marriage offers as the clan takes steps to separate her from Kyohei. Vampire politics soon becomes even more of a focus of the volume, as the head of the clan shows up, looking less evil than one would suppose! Throughout the trials and tribulations in this volume Kaya and Kyohei’s relationship remains strong, but we’ll have to see in future volumes if they can withstand the forces that are seeking to drive them apart. This series continues to be very entertaining. I’m always amused by the combination of heartfelt romance, the paranormal elements, and boardroom politics.

Dengeki Daisy Vol 14 by Kyousuke Motomi

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Dengeki Daisy is still going strong in its 14th volume. I have to say, I don’t really care about the latest hacker drama that is occupying all the characters, it is really the way that they interact with each other when dealing with the high stakes world of computer viruses and conspiracy theories. In their search for “M’s Last Testament”, the group has finally found out more information about the mysterious hacker Akira, and learned how exactly he became so twisted. One of the reasons why I like this series so much is that the reactions of the characters seem so much more authentic and less reliant on what I’d expect to see in a shoujo romance. When Teru learns the truth about Akira she can see why her other friends feel an obligation to help him, but her own suffering at his hands has left her wondering if he’s a person without any hope of redemption. In a more typical series, the disclosure of a character’s tragic past would prompt people to immediately move towards forgiveness, but Teru isn’t able to get over the past and she’s very forthright about her feelings. This drives a bit of a wedge between her and Kurosaki, as he moves on with the rest of the team even though he understands Teru’s reasons for not wanting to participate. In true Dengeki Daisy fashion, this first crisis of their relationship is solved with text messaging, in a nice bit of circular plotting that echoes back to the beginning of the series. Motomi could really just call each new hacker MacGuffin 1 or MacGuffin 2 and I’d still love reading this series just because it is so well executed and the characters are very memorable.

Manga the Week of 6/4

May 29, 2014 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Anna N, MJ and Michelle Smith 1 Comment

SEAN: Are we ready? Deep breaths, everyone. Here we go. BUY ALL THE THINGS!

Dark Horse gives you the first volume of New Lone Wolf & Cub, in case you had finished all of the Old Lone Wolf & Cub.

ASH: I’m certainly interested in this one! (Confession: I actually haven’t finished reading the original yet…)

ANNA: I’m glad this is being translated! I only read a few volumes of the original series!

MJ: Count me in!

SEAN: Drawn & Quarterly is releasing the 2nd volume of Shigeru Mizuki’s Showa, this one covering the Pacific War (Japan’s term for WWII), 1939-1944. Ending with a major cliffhanger, it’s amazing how so much dry description of battle and history can be so riveting and involving. I reviewed it here.

ASH: Showa is excellent! The second volume covers history that I’m more familiar with, so I’m curious to see what Mizuki does with the material.

ANNA: I feel like I should read this but I’m too distracted by the piles of shoujo manga I need to read to invest the time in it.

MJ: I wish I’d read the first volume. I need to make a commitment here.

SEAN: DMP has the fourth volume of Private Teacher, which I like to imagine has its own USA Up All Night-esque tag lines. “He’ll give you tutoring… in gay.”

Given we’re being buried in Alice spinoffs, it’s always nice to see a new volume of Circus and Liar’s Game, which I consider to be the best of the sequels. Vol. 5 lands next week.

A Centaur’s Life has been getting more slice-of-lifey and less creepy, which is a good thing, as its weird worldbuilding is the main reason to get it. Vol. 3 is out next week.

ASH: The worldbuilding in A Centaur’s Life really is interesting.

SEAN: If you like girls and tanks, then Girls Und Panzer is the series for you. Set in a universe where tank warfare is a martial art and done at high schools, it looks to be in the Strike Witches tradition, but with less anthropomorphism and I am hoping fewer panty shots.

MJ: Is it weird that I might consider reading this?

SEAN: Vertical has the 9th Knights of Sidonia volume, and I hope will not be killing off another likeable cast member.

MICHELLE: I have fallen a few volumes behind on this one, somehow. Must catch up!

ASH: Yes, you must!

ANNA: Me too! I will catch up! I do enjoy this series!

MJ: I’m always happy to see a new volume of this series!

SEAN: Everything else is Viz. Dengeki Daisy continues to try to balance thrilling suspense and its odd February/May romance. It’s top-of-the-line shoujo in my book.

MICHELLE: Or not-so-thrilling suspense, as the case may be. But the Teru/Kurosaki stuff is good!

ASH: I’m a few volumes behind, but Dengeki Daisy is a series I really enjoy.

ANNA: Dengeki Daisy is the best.

SEAN: There is the 5th Dragon Ball 3-in-1 omnibus, because why not?

We also have the 3rd Dragon Ball Full Color book, which I think is actually Z, but I’m still not sure. In any case, want some color in your manga? Here you go.

We’re halfway through Happy Marriage?!, so things are bound to get fluffier and more lovey-dovey for our lead couple. Right?

ANNA: Viz is a champ for bringing out more commercial josei romance. That’s all I have to say.

MJ: Agreed!

SEAN: We’re almost halfway through this list, by the way. How’s everyone doing? Need a break?

ASH: A break from manga? Never!

MJ: Maybe a small one? Hold on… okay, I’m good.

SEAN: Kamisama Kiss 15 is likely to stay stuck in the past, but that’s not a bad thing with this series, as it’s giving us tons of backstory.

ANNA: I love the character designs and the wandering yet interesting storyline in this series. I’m actually looking forward to a binge reread of this series. I tend to read each volume as it comes out, but I think it might be more fun to read 3 or 4 at a time.

SEAN: Kimi ni Todoke remains completely adorable and heartwarming, and I do not expect that to change merely because we’ve gotten to Vol. 19.

MICHELLE: Seriously, is basically EVERY Shojo Beat series (except Skip Beat!, alas) releasing a volume on June 3rd?!

ANNA: So adorable. So much blushing and teenage awkwardness.

SEAN: It’s been so long since the last volume of Millennium Snow, which got sidelined by the huge success that was Ouran High School Host Club, that Viz has decided to re-release the first two volumes as an omnibus, followed by the 3rd volume (which is new). Find out why we enjoyed the series when it first appeared 7 years ago!

MICHELLE: I look forward to seeing how this series is different now.

ANNA: I liked the first two volumes back in the day!

MJ: I missed this series originally, so I’m looking forward to going back for the first two volumes.

SEAN: Natsume’s Book of Friends is doing its best to make me very happy with its 16th volume, as my OT3 is on the cover! I wonder if they’ll be in the actual volume as well…

MICHELLE: <3

MJ: Here’s hoping!

SEAN: Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan continues to attempt to kill absolutely everybody we care about in horrible ways, and luckily has been failing so far. Will Vol. 21 be different?

One Piece is at Vol. 71. Really, what more is there to say? Only that it’s still one of the best shonen titles out there.

MICHELLE: Yep.

ANNA: I’ve only read the first 6 or so volumes and it was great, but I’m sort of terrified of a 70+ volume long shonen series. If only Glass Mask was this universally popular.

SEAN: In case you were unaware of this, here’s the 9th One Piece 3-in-1, which I think is up to the Skypeia volumes.

And let’s have another shonen manga debut! Seraph of the End, I feel I should tell everyone, has vampires in it. But it’s in Jump Square, so I’m not sure how pretty they will be.

ASH: I’m not sure either, but I have heard good things about the manga.

MJ: After reading Derek’s columns, I’m looking forward to seeing this for myself.

SEAN: After all this manga, I’m feeling very hungry, so I am gratified that we are now at the 22nd volume of Toriko.

And at last, we are done, as Viz has the 5th volume of Voice Over: Seiyu Academy, which has far less denseness than the author’s previous series S.A., but there’s still enough denseness to satisfy.

MJ: Denseness ftw?

SEAN: Buy *all* the things? :/

Sailor Moon, Episodes 1-4

May 26, 2014 by Anna N

I think one could easily write about Viz streaming the original Sailor Moon again with just four paragraphs of the word “SQUEE” and have that be a perfectly serviceable review, but having enjoyed watching the first few episodes of the series, I thought I would write about it a little bit. I’ve read some (but not all) of the Sailor Moon manga. I encountered the franchise first in the old Tokyopop editions, but I haven’t watched the anime that extensively before. I probably caught a few episodes of the dub when it was on TV before, and I’m quite fond of Tuxedo Mask animated gifs.

I haven’t watched the anime in order in subtitle format at all before, so I was quite happy that it was now available. The first four episodes firmly establish the character of Usagi/Sailor Moon, who starts out as a clumsy crybaby, and then becomes a clumsy crybaby with magical girl powers thanks to the intervention of the magical talking cat Luna. The clumsy girl who turns out to have extraordinary abilities is a very typical character type in both anime and manga, but Usagi manages to be a very appealing example of the type due to her inability to study for school, her devotion for naps, and her single-minded devotion to taking the easy path whenever possible. The first few episodes of the series follow the story elements of the manga fairly closely, as Usagi investigates the evil forces that seek to destroy the balance of the universe by capturing human energy through costume jewelry. Seriously the villains of Sailor Moon might have hit on something by appealing to the weak aspects of human nature, but they are surprisingly ineffective. Also, the balance of the universe often seems to be centered on struggles that take place very near Usagi’s neighborhood.

One thing that I enjoyed much more than I thought I would were the musical cues in the series. It is hilarious that whenever Mamoru/Tuxedo Mask makes an appearance, he brings with him the distant sound of castanets. I was also amused by the fact that Usagi’s crying sometimes acts like a sonic weapon. The first four episodes were fun to watch, but I find myself growing a bit impatient for the appearances of the other Sailor Guardians. Just as in the manga, there are references here and there to Sailor V, and I’m hoping that Mars and Mercury will show up very soon. I have a subscription to Hulu, so that’s where I’ve been watching Sailor Moon, but you can also watch it for free on Viz’s Neon Alley. I feel like Viz has kicked off the summer season by giving everyone a huge present, and I know I’m going to be looking forward to Mondays when new episodes are released!

Pick of the Week: Chickens, Nightmares, & Soap

May 26, 2014 by Michelle Smith, Anna N, Ash Brown, Sean Gaffney and MJ 10 Comments

MICHELLE: Oh, jeez. Do I pick Goong, whose virtues I have extolled in the past, or My Little Monster, which includes a pet chicken. Aw, who am I kidding? Pet chickens all the way!

ANNA: I will pick Goong! I enjoy pet chickens as much as anyone, but manhwa soap opera is hard to resist.

ASH: I’m going with My Little Monster, too, and not just because of the pet chicken (though that certainly doesn’t hurt!) I enjoyed the first volume and am legitimately curious to see how the relationship between the two leads continues to develop.

SEAN: No question about my pick of the week: it’s the 20th volume of Soul Eater. We’ve got 6 volumes to the end now, so should be kicking into the final arc soon. And as I hinted in Manga the Week of, this volume may inspire nightmares.

MJ: So, despite the fact that “pet chickens” sounds almost as good as “talking cactus” (I say almost, because c’mon), I’m going stay true to my manhwa-loving heart and join Anna in choosing the 15th volume of Goong as my must-buy for the week. I have loved this series (and its difficult, bickering protagonists) for many years now, and I’m always happy to see them turn up on my doorstep, especially since Yen Press shifted to omnibus releases, making each volume substantial enough to tide me over ’til the next. Hurray for Goong!

What looks good to you this week?

Manga the Week of 5/28

May 22, 2014 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Michelle Smith, Anna N and MJ 3 Comments

SEAN: Do you like stuff? Of course you do. Let’s look at some stuff!

ASH: I like stuff! I like lots of stuff!

MICHELLE: Stuff and junk and stuff!

ANNA: Stuff is awesome!

MJ: Bring on the stuff!

SEAN: If you’d wondered what the fuss was all about with Attack on Titan, and also wanted something heavy enough to beat small children to death with, have we got the release for you! Attack on Titan: Colossal Edition collects the first 5 volumes of the series into one massive, thousand-page TOME. And of course, it apparently has some added content so that obsessives must buy the whole thing again. If you haven’t seen this series before, get ready to see what all the fuss is about and ask “why is the art so crappy?”

ASH: This thing is going to be a HUGE monster of a book. I’m happy with my individual volumes, but I would be curious to see the the Colossal edition in person.

MICHELLE: Ugh. I must say the thought of hefting this thing doesn’t entice me to catch up on the series.

ANNA: I’m sort of tempted by this, since I bought the first book when the kindle version was on mega sale but haven’t gotten the subsequent volumes.

MJ: Hmmm… I’m tempted here. Kind of. Not sure I have a shelf big enough.

SEAN: Cage of Eden trundles along with Vol. 14. Will this be a monsters eating people volume? A fanservice-laden nude girls volume? A ‘I really liked Lost and want to rewrite it with Japanese students’ volume? Who can say? Most likely all three, I suspect.

My Little Monster was a lot of fun, even if I had issues with the male lead being a manic pixie dream guy to a certain degree, and I look forward to seeing how he and our heroine develop.

ASH: I rather enjoyed the first volume of My Little Monster. Plus, there’s a pet chicken!

MICHELLE: I love the pet chicken with every fiber of my being.

MJ: Pet chicken! How did I not buy this?

SEAN: Remember back in February when I discussed Wallflower 32 and they bumped it back to May without telling me? Well, here it is, still in May for now.

I apologize to Tokyopop. The fact that their one Japanese series is only available via Right Stuf now means I forget to add it to these lists, EVEN WHEN IT IS SITTING NEXT TO ME AS I MAKE THEM. Aheh. Anyway, Hetalia Axis Powers 6 was out last week.

ASH: I really do wonder how well this partnership between Tokyopop and RightStuf has been doing, and what other projects we might see because of it.

ANNA: Demon Sacred! Shinobi Life! Sky Blue Shore! Oh, how I miss you, but I have no hopes of reading you in English.

MICHELLE: Silver Diamond!

MJ: *sigh*

SEAN: BTOOOM! continues to make me count the number of O’s in its title, even now that Vol. 6 drops.

And now I want to add a third o to Goong, whose 15th volume is out, to the delight of the rest of the Manga Bookshelf team.

MICHELLE: Yay!

ANNA: Woo hoo!

MJ: Me me me me me me me!!

SEAN: In general, I have a better record with Yen than Seven Seas when it comes to otakubait series. And yet High School DxD – with its harem plot, promises of fanservice, and ‘angels and demons’ fantasy worldbuilding – seems to worry me. I’m watching you warily, Vol. 1.

MJ: That sounds… well, probably not for me.

SEAN: Jack Frost 10! Wow, how many decapitations have happened by now?

Kadokawa has decided they don’t want the manga to come up with new content that the novel hasn’t covered (bar the odd original short chapter), so The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya will be ending its manga version soon while they wait for the next novel to appear. Here’s Vol. 18, featuring new character Yasumi on the cover.

Kazumi Magica has been one of the longer franchise spinoffs of the Puella Magi-verse, but it comes to an end here with Vol. 5. Will it have a happy ending? Our good friend Kyubey says he’s very happy!

Soul Eater has gotten up to Vol. 20, and I think is getting closer to its massive final arc. More to the point, this volume contains one of the scariest manga chapters I’ve ever seen – full stop, any series.

MJ: Really? Hm. Maybe I should check it out.

SEAN: Triage X has hit Vol. 6. See above about why I can’t always trust Yen when it comes to fanservice-laden series. At least I don’t think this is based on a series of light novels…

Lastly, we get another omnibus of Until Death Do Us Part, which features characters named Mamoru, Haruka, and Wiseman, yet is not actually like Sailor Moon at all.

MICHELLE: I need to catch up on this. I liked what I read of it.

SEAN: Stuff? Stuff!