I got some great lists of love stories in the comments to the My Love Story! giveaway. The winner according to Random.org is commenter #8, Dawn whose favorite love story is Amelie.
Pick of the Week: Arakawa & More
MJ: There isn’t a ton of manga I’m dying to buy this week, but enough that I did have to make a relatively difficult choice. In the end, I’ve embraced a favorite artist, even if it might not be the work I’m most interested in seeing from her–and that would be Hiromu Arakawa and her manga adaptation of The Heroic Legend of Arslan, debuting this week from Kodansha Comics. Since I love Arakawa’s storytelling at least as much as her art, it’s not giving me what I want most (*cough* Silver Spoon *cough*) but I’ll take it.
SEAN: Looking forward to Arslan, but my heart, as ever, belongs to Dorohedoro. Though given the kind of manga it is, it’s possible that my heart may have already been removed. And used as a mask. Or in pies.
ASH: It may be a relatively quiet week for new manga but I’m still interested in quite a few of the releases–the most recent volume of Dorohedoro and the debut of The Heroic Legend of Arslan being only two of them. But my pick for the week is unquestionably Takako Shimura’s Wandering Son. In addition to being a lovely and sensitive story about identity and growing up, it’s also a series that is personally very meaningful to me.
MICHELLE: And I’ll bring it ’round again to Arslan. I haven’t read anything of Arakawa’s aside from Fullmetal Alchemist, so I’m interested to see what she’ll do with this story.
ANNA: The third volume of Gangsta. is coming out this week! I really enjoyed the first two volumes of this stylish and intriguing seinen title, and I’m hoping that the third volume delves into some additional back story about the main characters.
What looks good to you this week?
Bookshelf Briefs 8/18/14
This week, Sean, Anna, & Michelle look at recent releases from Viz Media and Seven Seas.
Alice in the Country of Clover: Nightmare Trilogy, Vol. 1 | By QuinRose and Job | Seven Seas – Another month, another Alice book. This one has, as you may imagine, Nightmare as the love interest, and mostly delves into Alice being upset and angry that people are afraid of him, and trying to find ways to get them to see the real man. Who is still a giant loser at times, so he’s not helping. Also not helping is the art in this book, which is some of the weakest I’ve seen in the entire series. That does not bode well given this is the first of three. On the bright side, Joker shows up, continuing to force Alice to truly examine her heart and feelings (big sister doesn’t come into play here). There’s also some amusing humor, mostly at Nightmare’s expense. Still, in the end this is one of the weaker entries in the Alice books. – Sean Gaffney
Black Rose Alice, Vol. 1 | By Setona Mizushiro | Viz Media – If I were to tell you that this is a shoujo series about vampires, you might think that you’d know what to expect. It’s not, after all, a unique premise. Except that’s exactly what Black Rose Alice is: unique. Dimitri Lewandoski is an ambitious tenor in Vienna in 1908 when he is killed in an accident and ultimately brought back to life by a vampire master who has entrusted him with the procreation of the species. The horror and the “colonization” spur a personality shift in Dimitri, and by the end of the volume he’s striking a bargain that might reanimate the body of his true love, lifeless for a hundred years. That’s pretty strange stuff, and I haven’t even mentioned the bugs! Happily, it’s not too strange and when I finished the volume I was left with a profound sense of “What? That’s it?! I want more!” And that is perhaps the highest recommendation I can give. – Michelle Smith
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 22 | By Hiroshi Shiibashi | Viz Media – We’ve just finished a major fight arc, and are about to head into what will be the final arc, so in a sense this is the last breather volume in the series. Like many breather volumes in shonen fighting series, it feels a bit out of place at times, with both heroes and villains putting all their ducks in a row. We do get to see an extensive battle between Nura and a priest who is upset at a forced sword going to an evil Ayakashi (it’s OK, Nura’s one of the GOOD evil Ayakashi), and an attempt on both sides to unite previously fractured clans. That said, Kana and the rest of the class’s presence has become token, and even Tsurara looks to be left behind for the big fight. Nura is starting to overstay its welcome, so it’s good it will be ending soon. – Sean Gaffney
Oresama Teacher, Vol 16 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Viz Media – The evil student council in Oresama Teacher is generally surprisingly ineffective, sending agents one by one to take down the public morals club, only to find that the dimwitted delinquents in the public morals club end up befriending their enemy. Here we have more of an orchestrated campaign, as blackmail letters start arriving and picking off the public morals club one by one. Soon only Mafuyu and Hayasaka are left to battle things out with the return of their fiendish faculty mentor Saeki. I see troubled times ahead for Yui, as the wanna be ninja has joined his former masters. Oresama Teacher is always silly diverting fun that pays off for the reader. I was happy to see bancho and his pigeon make an appearance in this volume as well. This is the only long-running comedy series that has managed to hang on to my full attention, and I enjoy the ridiculous situations and occasional bursts of violence featured in each volume. – Anna N
Toriko, Vol. 23 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro| Viz Media – It’s impressive how even in the middle of what is basically a fight between two opposing sides firing power attacks, Toriko can continue to be all about food. The one thing that gets our heroes to work together and take out the monster this time is hearing that the more damage it takes, the more delicious its flesh will taste. And of course there’s Komatsu, who was given ten minutes to make an antidote simpler to cook, took five minutes, then spent the rest of the time figuring out how to make it tastier. It’s no wonder he seems to have picked up another harem member, this one a nameless cook arriving with Setsuno. The way it deals with food makes Toriko a consistent fun title to read. – Sean Gaffney
Kaze Hikaru Vol 22 and Happy Marriage?! Vol 7
Kaze Hikaru Volume 22 by Taeko Watanabe
So much of Kaze Hikaru deals with repressing emotions, since Sei has disguised herself as a boy in order to join the Shinsengumi and Soji has agreed to keep her secret. While Sei and Soji are clearly in love with each other, there’s a long way to go until any actual romance occurs. This volume revolved around so many feelings, as Sei has been newly assigned to Saito’s troop and Saito harbors some suspicions of Sei based on his past friendship with Sei’s brother. Saito has disturbing dreams and isn’t sure what is happening with his involuntary reactions to Sei. Saito finally figures out that Sei is a girl, and his reaction is that he’ll simply maker her quit the Shinsengumi and marry her. When Saito goes to Soji to discuss his plans, Soji encourages the marriage, telling Saito to “Make her happy.” It is interesting how effectively Watanabe explores the points of view of the characters, while Soji cares for Sei the idea of pursuing marriage with her isn’t in his worldview. He’s just going to support her while thinking of her as the man she pretends to be.
Saito’s plan begins to evolve as he sees Sei protect Soji in battle and he realizes that she’s more courageous than most of the men she knows. At the end of this volume, Sei is transferred back to Soji’s troop, where I’m sure Soji’s general feelings of uneasiness and his tendencies to lie to himself will grow even stronger. Kaze Hikaru’s detailed historical setting, clear and attractive art, and compelling story make it one of my favorite Shojo Beat titles. I wish the new volumes came out at a greater rate than once a year, because I think the deliberate pace of the story would reward readers who like to stockpile volumes and read a bunch at a time. I read every volume almost as soon as I get it though!
Happy Marriage?! By Maki Enjoiji
I enjoy reading Happy Marriage?! just because romances set in offices give me a break from all the romances set in high schools that I tend to read just because I am such a shojo manga aficionado. Chiwa continues to work in her new job, but has to deal with one of her former friends still having a crush on her. Hokuto continues to be both busy and remote, and his father is still in the hospital. Chiwa attempts to intervene to bring Hokuto closer to his family, without the results she was expecting. One sour note for me in this volume was Hokuto slapping Chiwa in the middle of an argument. While they fight and work through their issues as always, I’m starting to get a little weary of the relationship dynamic in the book. I’m also a bit more interested in some of the newer Shojo Beat series like Spell of Desire or Black Rose Alice. I’m hoping that the next volume of Happy Marriage is a bit better.
Manga the Week of 8/20
SEAN: There’s a little something for everyone in the third week of August, so let’s see what demographics we can scrounge up.
First off, it’s not out in bookstores yet, but Fantagraphics has shipped its 7th volume of Wandering Son to its Kickstarter backers. It’s still a must-read for anyone who likes good manga about real characters, as well as being a top-notch coming of age story.
ASH: I love this series so much. I can’t wait to read my copy.
ANNA: I need to get caught up on this! I really liked the first couple volumes.
MJ: I love this series with the fire of a thousand suns. I honestly can’t wait.
SEAN: Kodansha brings us the second volume of Attack on Titan: Before the Fall, the adaptation of the light novel about times way back when there was still quite a bit of defense separating humanity from its Titan opponents. Not that humanity really comes off well here, at least in Vol. 1.
ASH: Before the Fall has its own brand of Attack on Titan darkness. I’m looking forward to reading the original novel later this year, too.
SEAN: Kodansha is also debuting The Heroic Legend of Arslan, a manga adaptation by Hiromu Arakawa of the novel series by Yoshiki Tanaka. From what I understand, it’s not so much high fantasy as low to medium fantasy, but it’s being drawn by Arakawa, so I’m totally on board.
MICHELLE: Me, too!
ASH: As am I!
ANNA: This sounds intriguing! More Arakawa can only be a good thing!
MJ: Count me in!
SEAN: There’s also the first omnibus release of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle. I’ve made my opinion of the last half of this series quite clear in the past, so I will simply note that the FIRST half of this series is quite good indeed, and that fans who don’t mind manga that end in car crashes should absolutely check it out, if only for Kurogane and Fai.
MJ: I’m happy to see this getting a re-release!
SEAN: Seven Seas has a trio of releases geared towards the fanboy end of the spectrum. The one I’m interested in is the eighth volume of Haganai. If you were to ask me if there was a reason to get it, I would have to say: nun. (whack) Ow.
There’s also the 4th volume of monster hit Monster Musume, showing why I do not run manga companies.
ASH: Seven Seas recently announced the licensing of another manga by the creator of Monster Musume, so the series has apparently been doing quite well.
SEAN: And Strike Witches debuts a new miniseries with Vol. 1 of the 1937 Fuso Sea Incident. This incident appears, as far as I can tell, to be fictional, and should have more combat sequences than we’ve seen in prior volumes.
Vertical has the 11th volume of Chi’s Sweet Home, star of manga, anime, and TV commercials. I hope Chi isn’t letting it go to her head.
MICHELLE: Yay, Chi! I have my coworker’s young daughter addicted to this one.
ASH: A new volume of Chi is always a good reason to celebrate.
MJ: You really can’t have too much Chi.
SEAN: Ikki may have stopped publication, but SigIkki lives on (I think – it may get rebranded) with the 13th volume of Dorohedoro. Dorohedoro easily wins the longest running Ikki series published over here, and I am infinitely grateful to Viz for its release.
ASH: I would like to join you in expressing my gratitude. Dorohedoro is such a marvelously weird manga and I love it.
SEAN: There’s also the 3rd volume of Gangsta, which still makes me think of Black Lagoon too much but is starting to carve out its own niche in the ‘cool people attack each other by leaping into the air’ genre.
ASH: I’ve really been enjoying this series and am looking forward to the next installment.
ANNA: I enjoy this series very much too. Artsy seinen fighting and angst is fun.
SEAN: Lastly, the Kaze Hikaru of seinen, it’s Vol. 10 of Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit! This is the final volume, so we won’t be seeing its once a year likes again. With this and Bokurano: Ours ending next month, the genre of ‘incredibly depressing manga about optimism in humanity’ needs a new standard bearer. Who’ll take it up?
MICHELLE: I’ve been wondering when Ikigami would end, and whether, with that obligation finishing up, VIZ might give that yearly slot to another volume of Kaze Hikaru. That would rock so much. I do intend to finish Bokurano: Ours sometime, but I have to muster the mental fortitude.
SEAN: Does something here appeal to you? If not, why not?
Pick of the Week: Loveless! And other stuff.
SEAN: It’s a relatively quiet week for me manga-wise, which is good, as I’m still trying to make a dent on last week. As a result, I will pick my go-to Shonen Sunday action series, Magi.
MICHELLE: I like Magi, too, but I am absolutely unable to pick anything other than Loveless, whose long-awaited twelfth volume is finally here! I will do my best not to think about how long it’ll take for volume thirteen to arrive, seeing as how it hasn’t even been released in Japan yet.
ASH: It’s Loveless for me this week, too! I’ve been saving up a few volumes to read all at once.
ANNA: There isn’t really anything coming out this week that I am all that enthused about, so I’m going to pick Kaze Hikaru from last week, just because that’s what I’m going to read next!
MJ: Loveless. LOVELESS. Did I mention Loveless? Seriously, though, did anyone expect me to pick something else? Surely not.
… Loveless
What looks good to you this week?
My Love Story Giveaway!
I have an extra copy of My Love Story, so I thought I would do a giveaway! Just leave a comment here telling me what your favorite love story is, and I’ll randomly pick a winner next Sunday. US residents only please.
Manga the Week of 8/13
SEAN: If there was a quiet week in August, next week would be it, with a mere nine titles.
Dark Horse has the 2nd of its Samurai Executioner omnibii, for those who can’t get enough of samurai, manliness, and manly samurai.
ASH: Surprisingly enough, I haven’t actually read any of Samurai Executioner. This would probably be a good time to change that.
SEAN: Kodansha gives us a double shot of Hiro Mashima, with the 41st volume of Fairy Tail (which starts a new arc) and the 2nd volume of Monster Soul (which wraps up).
SubLime has an entry, as the 5th volume of Crimson Spell is out. Listen to them. Crimson. Pff. It’s f**king Red. (Sorry, got caught up in the meme there.)
ASH: Speaking of getting caught up, I believe the fifth volume means we’ve caught up with Japan, too.
SEAN: Vertical has the 5th volume of Wolfsmund, whose cover may not be red but whose contents I expect will at least have a bit of blood.
ASH: I suspect that you’re right.
SEAN: Viz has recently said that Deadman Wonderland is its breakout hit of the last year, so it will please people no end that Vol. 4 is out. Also, clearly this means we need more license rescues. (Kidding, kidding…)
MICHELLE: I never kid about license rescues! Of course, whatever momentum the TOKYOPOP series that I most love(d) had is probably long-dissipated by now, but I can continue to hope that one day, I’ll get to read Silver Diamond in English in its entirety.
ANNA: I am pausing a moment to contemplate the lack of an ending in English for Shinobi Life, Demon Sacred, and Sky Blue Shore.
SEAN: We also have the 12th volume of Itsuwaribito, which I still haven’t really read. Anyone?
The 12th volume of Loveless will no doubt generate a bit more excitement from my other Manga Bookshelf colleagues.
ASH: I’m looking forward to it!
MICHELLE: I am positively asquee!
MJ: Okay, yeah, I’m in the middle of production week, but I have to take at least a moment here to say: LOVELESS!!! <3 Oh, happy day.
SEAN: Lastly, we get a 7th volume of the Arabian Nights series Magi, which I enjoy quite a bit.
MICHELLE: I vow that I will finally get caught back up with Magi!
SEAN: Getting something here? Or catching up with the week before?
Food Wars, Vol 1
Food Wars Volume 1 by Yuto Tsukudo and Shun Saeki
This is a potentially engaging battle style foodie manga that I found myself having a difficult time getting into due to the copious amounts of fan service. I do realize that in shonen manga, one has to expect some boobs and miniskirts, just as one might expect scenes of shirtless vampires chained to the wall in supernatural shoujo manga, but I thought the sexual elements in Food Wars didn’t really enhance what might otherwise be a fun food battle manga.
Soma has grown up cooking for his father’s neighborhood restaurant. He’s trying to battle his father for supremacy but still falling short of the mark. The third page of the manga contains a reference to tentacle rape, as Soma pops a bite of a squid food experiment into a girls mouth, only for her to feel horrifically molested by the terrible combination of flavors. The first chapter in the book is a prolog, as representatives of a hostile corporation try to move in on the restaurant, Soma’s father decides to take off and cook in America, and Soma is promptly sent to try out for an elite cooking school called the Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute.
The female antagonist of Food Wars is Erina Nakiri, a student with an incredibly refined palette, and a gift for metaphor, as she likens an unsatisfactory dish to the sensation of visiting a hot springs only to find out that there is a gorilla staring at her. Full visuals for this scene are of course provided, and it is actually much more funny than some of the other fanservicey scenes that just seem to involve food blowing away peoples’ clothes. Erina judges Soma’s dish and finds it extraordinary despite the fact that he’s making everyday Japanese food instead of something more fancy. She fails him, but he’s let into the school after all when a school administrator tears up the test results after tasting the dish.
I do enjoy food manga, and ordinarily I’d be totally up for reading a few volumes of food battling set in an elite high school. I also liked the theme of contrasting Soma’s expertise in making everyday food with the snobby pretensions of his fellow students. The fan service elements were just a bit too much for me, and there are certainly other examples of food manga that manage to show the transformative experience of eating an excellent dish without resorting to upskirt shots. So for funny food manga, I’d probably recommend that someone with similar tastes as me go with Yakitate Japan or the ridiculous Toriko.
Pick of the Week: Black Rose Alice & more!
ASH: As is often the case with the first week of the month, there are a good many manga releases hitting the shelves. But, there is one manga that I’m particularly curious about: the debut of Setona Mizushiro’s Black Rose Alice. It’s shoujo horror from the creator of After School Nightmare and I’ve been assured it’s not your typical vampire story.
MICHELLE: I’m really looking forward to Black Rose Alice, and Spell of Desire was enjoyable, too, but I can’t pass up my yearly opportunity to plug Kaze Hikaru. It’s really good, I swear! Thank you, VIZ, for continuing to release it.
ANNA: I was preparing myself for some mental anguish because I love Black Rose Alice, Spell of Desire, and Kaze Hikaru all so much! So I’m glad that Ash and Michelle have picked 2 of my favorites so I can highlight the frothy witchy fun of Spell of Desire. Since Demon Love Spell just concluded and Midnight Secretary is also about to wrap up, I am very happy I have another fun josei supernatural romance to read.
SEAN: Given what everyone’s already picked out, I’ll spotlight the 46th volume of Oh My Goddess!. We now know that the series will end with Vol. 48, and so Fujishima is allowed to pull out all the stops and do the things he had put off doing for twenty years, like plot and character development. I kid, but this volume is touching and heartwarming, as the entire arc has been, really.
MJ: I probably should choose something like Knights of Sidonia, since everyone else has avoided repeats here, but I can’t possibly pick anything this week other than Setona Mizushiro’s Black Rose Alice. I absolutely adore After School Nightmare, and after losing her glorious BL epic Dousei Ai to JManga’s demise, I’m pretty thrilled to finally see something else from her on the shelves. This is my must-buy item for the week!
What looks good to you this week?
Manga the Week of 8/6
SEAN: There is so much manga out in August it beggars belief. Over 50 different titles in the month. And the first week is the biggest. So buckle up.
ANNA: I can see myself undergoing some major psychological trauma trying to choose between titles for Pick of the Week.
SEAN: Dark Horse has nearly wrapped up Oh My Goddess, but it’s not there yet, so here’s Vol. 46.
There’s also the 4th Trigun Maximum omnibus, for those who want to be confused by the artwork over longer periods of time.
Seven Seas has the July title I discussed earlier, D-Frag! On the August end, so far so good, as we have a couple titles there as well. Alice in the Country of Joker: Nightmare Trilogy intrigues me, mostly as I wonder if we’ll see Joker, who hasn’t ventured much outside his one book.
There’s the third Dragonar Academy, which is a thing that exists.
There’s also a new series debuting, Kokoro Connect. As with D-Frag!, I’ve heard this is better than it sounds, and look forward to seeing how it stretches its basic high school comedy with the twist that is at the heart of its plot.
ASH: I’m actually rather curious about this one.
SEAN: And there’s another Witch Buster omnibus, for the manwha inclined.
Speaking of Manga-ish things, Udon Entertainment have out the first of their “Manga Classics” adaptations, in this case Pride & Prejudice and Les Miserables. The artists seem to be Chinese (I think?), but the style is certainly pure shoujo. I’ll be interested to see how compressed these adaptations are.
Vertical hits double digits with the 10th volume of Knights of Sidonia, which hopefully will not end with a third straight cliffhanger putting Izana in danger.
MICHELLE: I really will catch up with Knights of Sidonia, I swear!
ASH: Poor, poor Izana. Hang in there, you’re my favorite!
ANNA: I need to catch up too, it is a great series!
MJ: Yay! That’s all I have to say.
SEAN: Hope you like Viz! Let’s start with the first of three debuts this week, the shoujo horror title Black Rose Alice. I understand it has vampires!
MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to this one! It’s by the creator of After School Nightmare.
ASH: Me, too! I’m a little burned out on vampires, but I’m making an exception for Black Rose Alice.
ANNA: I have read this and the vampires in Black Rose Alice are very different from the vampires people may be used to. As much as I love goofy vampire romance manga, I really enjoyed the surreal and odd elements of this title.
MJ: I’m very much looking forward to this, mainly on the strength of After School Nightmare, which is a long-time favorite of mine.
SEAN: Bleach hits Vol. 61, and I don’t think has had real vampires yet, though I’m sure we’ve seen the equivalent somewhere in its Rogue’s Gallery.
It was 2012 when we saw the last D.Gray-Man that wasn’t an omnibus. Rejoice! Vol. 24 is here!
I reviewed the first volume of Food Wars! when it came out digitally, noting the fanservice was appalling but the basic plot as quite fun. The print volume releases this week.
ASH: I’ve been waiting for the print release to give this one a try.
SEAN: The 7th Happy Marriage?! continues to test the validity of that title.
ANNA: Yay, more josei!
SEAN: And the third High School Debut 3-in-1 omnibus is more pure shoujo fun in a bargain package.
MICHELLE: Read it, y’all!
ANNA: I love this series, especially the fact that the hero Yoh always looks chronically sleep deprived.
SEAN: The Excel Saga of shoujo, Kaze Hikaru, has its annual volume release! This is an awesome series that deserves more love, so I hope everyone goes out and buys it, if only so we can see it more than once a year.
MICHELLE: I concur 3,000%.
ASH: Kaze Hikaru is a great series.
ANNA: In a perfect world it would come out quarterly and dominate the manga best sellers list. It is wonderful.
SEAN: Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan gets ready for its final arc as Vol. 22 arrives.
Yet another series that’s been a long while since a volume, Rosario x Vampire II gets lucky Vol. 13.
The last of our debuts this week is Spell of Desire. Midnight Secretary ends next month, so I suppose it’s a perfect time to bring in a new josei series by the same author (heavily disguised as shoujo).
MICHELLE: I liked the first volume of Spell of Desire more than I expected to. Maybe because the hunky guy is kind to kittens.
ANNA: I am delighted by this series, and the hilarious contrivance that results in the male lead having to make out with an innocent witch in order to control her magic.
SEAN: Toriko’s Vol. 23 continues to see our four young heroes pitted against deadly, world-destroying monsters. Also, there’s food.
Lastly, the 6th Voice Over: Seiyu Academy makes us wonder if we’ll ever get back to the supposed hero of the series.
Is this too much manga? Or not enough?
ASH: Never enough! (Also, never enough money…)
Bookshelf Briefs 7/29/14
This week, Sean, Anna, & Michelle look at recent releases from Seven Seas, Harlequin, Viz Media, Kodansha Comics, & Vertical, Inc.
Alice in the Country of Clover: Knight’s Knowledge, Vol. 1 | By QuinRose and Sai Asai | Seven Seas – This is an Alice book, and you all know the drill by now. Reasons to check this out: 1) A better look at Alice’s feelings about moving to Clover than Cheshire Cat Waltz had; 2) Despite being an Ace book, showing everyone in love with Alice and trying their damnedest to win her, rather than just giving up when they see who the protagonist of the series is; Ace and Alice’s feelings for each other being unhealthy as hell, something both of them know but only Alice regrets. Other than that, it’s business as usual, with a new artist but the same basic shape, and lots of running around and getting stressed out from our heroine. Buy if you like the Alice series. -Sean Gaffney
The Amalfi Bride | Marito Ai and Ann Major | Harlequin – The strongest thing about this Harlequin manga is the price tag at only 99 cents! It is a passable middle of the road Harlequin title, but I found myself distracted by the very poor quality of the lettering. Regina is a uptight woman on vacation when she spots a devastatingly handsome man embracing an older woman. She assumes that the handsome man is a gigolo and proceeds to engage his services, while he assumes that they’re on a whirlwind date. It will not surprise regular Harlequin readers that Nico is secretly a Prince trying to run away from an arranged marriage. The character designs are attractive, but the illustrations aren’t very detailed. Still, for only a dollar, this is a decent Harlequin manga to try even though it ends up being somewhat forgettable. – Anna N
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 1 | Story by Yuto Tsukuda, Art by Shun Saeki | Viz Media – Fifteen-year-old Soma Yukihira is a talented chef who’s serious about improving his skills and exploring new flavors. But when his father learns Soma plans to do so at their family restaurant, he decides to close up shop and sends his son off to Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute, the most elite culinary school in Japan. While a Shonen Jump-style cooking manga definitely has appeal, what I noticed most about Food Wars! was how much it reminded me of other things. We’ve got a cocky protagonist with a rivalry with his potentially super-famous dad (The Prince of Tennis), over-the-top reaction shots to food-tasting (Yakitate!! Japan), and a character with a palate so sophisticated she sees visions when she tastes things (Drops of God). Plus, there’s fanservice. Still, it was entertaining enough that I’ll continue reading it and hope it evolves more of its own voice. – Michelle Smith
Rin-Ne, Vol. 15 | By Rumiko Takahashi | Viz Media – The danger of a series like Rin-Ne, where nothing really changes, nothing ever advances, and all is sacrificed to appease the great god Comedy, is that when a serious plot *does* show up, you keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, knowing that it’s going to end with some anticlimax that will have people face-faulting with their fingers in the air. It’s just how Takahashi rolls. Despite this, the final story in this volume, which shows Renge’s fall from grace (one guess who’s to blame, and the first one doesn’t count) and her tortured crush on Kain is briefly rather heartbreaking, and you wonder if, not being the two leads, they might actually work something out. Alas, status quo. Such is the way when you worship the god of Comedy. – Sean Gaffney
The Seven Deadly Sins, Vol. 3 | By Nakaba Suzuki | Kodansha Comics – We’ve already seen that the look of the Sins don’t necessarily match the sketch on their wanted poster, but the introduction of King in this volume goes one step further; he genuinely is different, to the point where Ban, who he has a new, deadly grudge against, doesn’t even recognize him. The battle between the two of them is the highlight of the volume, showing off both personalities and teasing a backstory while not quite spelling it all out. The lowlight of the volume is the non-death of Sennett’s father, killed off in the last volume and back to life for no good reason except it would be too sad. Don’t pull your punches, Suzuki. Other than that, we’re still setting up the plot. Not bad. – Sean Gaffney
Spell of Desire, Vol. 1 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – Kaoruko Mochizuki leads a quiet life running an herb shop in a small port town. This all changes when black-clad Kaname Hibiki shows up and announces, “I serve your mother and I am here to protect you.” As it turns out, the mother who abandoned Kaoruko as an infant went off to become the leader of a worldwide coven of black witches, and she has now transferred her powers to her daughter. Kaoruko has trouble controlling them, but never fear, Kaname can get her to calm down with his magical powers of smooching! Actually, though, I liked Spell of Desire more than I thought I would. Kaoruko is a likable protagonist, and although Kaname is clearly interested in bedding her, he’s not one of those creepy, domineering types. Plus, he carefully tends to sick kittens! In the end, this is rather unexpectedly recommended. – Michelle Smith
What Did You eat Yesterday?, Vol. 2 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | Vertical, Inc.– The second volume of this manga focuses a bit more on the food preparation than the character development, but there are still the great slice of life moments that I love, like Shiro’s quiet exhilaration about perfectly planning his menu so he doesn’t waste any food and some quick glimpses into how Shiro and Kenji first started dating and living together. The meals and dishes describe give me the vicarious pleasure of reading a cookbook and learning about recipes I will likely never prepare. Am I the only one who sometimes reads cookbooks even if I’m not going to actually cook? Recommended as always. – Anna N
What Did You eat Yesterday?, Vol. 3 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | Vertical, Inc. – Most of the plot of this cooking manga tends to revolve around Shiro, who has more flaws and less maturity than his partner Kenji. In particular, he still can’t quite deal with his parents, particularly now that they seem more accepting of his relationship than they were previously. It’s even spilling over into his workplace, where he’s usually level-headed and together, but dealing with a cute young intern (who his co-workers, knowing he’s single but not that he’s gay, thinks he’ll score with) proves beyond him. Luckily, he’s still master of grocery shopping and cooking in general, otherwise most of this volume would have been me shouting “You big loser!” over and over again. – Sean Gaffney
Pick of the Week: Kodansha-fest
SEAN: 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.
Manga the Week of 7/30
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.
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
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.