Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Ash Brown

Manga Giveaway: Queen Emeraldas Giveaway

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It’s that time again! The end of the month is fast approaching which means another giveaway at Experiments in Manga is now underway! This month’s giveaway features Queen Emeraldas, Volume 1 by Leiji Matsumoto as published in English by Kodansha Comics. (It’s a hardcover!) The second and final volume of the series will be released later this year (I believe it’s scheduled for July), so this giveaway is a great opportunity for a chance to win the first volume to give the series a try. And, as always, the giveaway is open worldwide!

Queen Emeraldas, Volume 1

I have been a long-time fan of speculative and science fiction of all types, but I do seem to particularly fond of those that somehow involve space. Taking that into consideration, it probably shouldn’t be too surprising that manga about space travel and exploration especially tend to appeal to me. When Leiji Matsumoto’s Queen Emeraldas was licensed it immediately caught my attention. Not only does it take place in space, it’s also a series from the 1970s. “Classic” manga aren’t frequently released in English (unless they’re by Osamu Tezuka), so that aspect of Queen Emeraldas interested me, too. And indeed, I enjoyed the first volume a great deal.

So, you may be wondering, how can you a copy of the Queen Emeraldas, Volume 1?

1) In the comments below, tell me about your favorite manga set in space. (Don’t have a favorite or have never read one? Simply mention that instead.)
2) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting, or retweeting, about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me).

And there you have it. Everyone participating in the giveaway can earn up to two entries and has one week to submit comments. If needed or preferred, entries can also be sent directly to me at phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com. The comments will then be posted here in your name. The giveaway winner will be randomly selected and announced on May 3, 2017. Good luck!

VERY IMPORTANT: Include some way that I can contact you. This can be an e-mail address in the comment form, a link to your website, Twitter username, or whatever. If I can’t figure out how to get a hold of you and you win, I’ll just draw another name.

Contest winner announced–Manga Giveaway: Queen Emeraldas Giveaway Winner

Pick of the Week: Happiness Will Prevail

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MICHELLE: I’m both excited and grateful for more digital josei from Kodansha, but of course it’s sports manga that gets me stupidly excited, which is the case for Tuesday’s debut of Days.

SEAN: I’ll go with the 3rd Bakemonogatari novel, which promises to dig into Tsubasa Hanekawa’s psyche at long last, as well as metatext, annoying sexualized scenes, and more insults hurled with love than you can shake a stick at.

KATE: I only have eyes for one title this week: Shuzo Oshimi’s Happiness. For my money, Happiness is the best title Kodansha is publishing right now: it’s smartly drawn, expertly paced, and meticulously plotted, with a memorable, sympathetic lead character and a well-rounded cast of supporting players. More impressive still is that the horror elements feel fresh and surprising; this isn’t just another teen vampire manga. If you do give it a try, be prepared to squirm or cringe from time to time — not because it’s gory, but because it captures the special awfulness of being fifteen in vivid detail.

ASH: I’m with Kate. I don’t have much to add after such an eloquent description, but Happiness is definitely the manga release which commands my attention this week.

ANNA: OK, Happiness wasn’t on my radar before, but now it certainly is! This week would be much smaller without Kodansha’s digital releases, they are bringing back older unfinished series and producing more and more digital josei, which is a very good thing. My pick of the week is Kodansha’s digital program in general. I hope it inspires other publishers to bring out more titles that might be too noncommercial for print release.

MICHELLE: At the risk of sounding like a broken record…. Like 7SEEDS?!?!

ANNA: 7SEEDS!!!!!!!

MJ: So, first I have to decide whether I can forgive my co-bloggers for momentarily making me think that someone had actually licensed 7SEEDS. If I ever manage that, or indeed manage to recover from that brief moment of excitement, I will pick… something else? I haven’t started Happiness, but it sounds like I should.

My Week in Manga: April 17-April 23, 2017

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My News and Reviews

Well, I didn’t manage to post my in-depth manga review for April last week after all. Today I’m starting in a new position at a different library, meaning that last week I spent most of my time tying up as many loose ends as possible at my previous job. This included writing a lot of documentation. And since I was doing so much writing for work, by the time I got home I didn’t want to do anything but read, so that’s what I did. (Which goes to explain why I ended up finishing Cixin Liu’s excellent novel The Three-Body Problem much sooner than I had originally anticipated.) But never fear, I’ll be posting my review of Nagabe’s The Girl from the Other Side later this week in addition to the monthly manga giveaway.

In other news, Seven Seas continued its string of licensing announcements, adding Orikō Yoshino and Z-ton’s light novel series Monster Girl Doctor, Kazuki Funatsu’s Yokai Girls manga, and Saki Hasemi and Kentaro Yabuki’s To Love Ru and To Love Ru Darkness manga to the slate. Recent announcements from Viz Media included Sankichi Hinodeya’s Splatoon manga, a Hello Kitty coloring book, picture books of Hayao Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky and Princess Mononoke, as well as the My Little Pony: The Movie artbook. Kodansha Comics had a couple of announcements to make recently, too, such as the upcoming release of full-color hardcover edition of Gun Snark’s Attack on Titan: No Regrets (I’ve previously reviewed the series’ first English-language release) and a hardcover omnibus edition of Yukito Kishiro’s Battle Angel Alita. (The series was originally published in English by Viz Media but has been out-of-print for quite some time.)

I also came across a few other interesting things last week: Over at The OASG, Justin interviewed Mariko Hihara and Kotoyo Noguchi, two independent manga creators in Japan. Noguchi also had some questions to ask in return. Frederik L. Schodt (whose work I greatly enjoy) was recently profiled at Nippon.com. The article takes a look at his involvement as an ambassador for manga over the last four decades. Caitlin from I Have a Heroine Problem presented a panel called “Is This Feminist or Not? Ways of Talking about Women in Anime” at Sakura Con 2017 and has made her slides available. A very nicely designed site called Persona Problems offers criticism of Persona 5‘s English localization and delves into translation theory and practice that even people who don’t play the game may find interesting. Finally, the author and designer Iku Okada has started a series of autobiographical essays called Otaku Girl and Proud which explores Japanese gender inequality and identity and how popular culture can impact that experience.

Quick Takes

Dorohedoro, Volume 17Dorohedoro, Volumes 17-20 by Q Hayashida. Despite being one of my favorite ongoing series currently being released in English, I seem to somehow always forget how incredibly much I love Dorohedoro. I tend to forget how tremendously horrific the manga can be, too, mostly because it simultaneously manages to be surprisingly endearing. Hayashida’s story and artwork is frequently and stunningly brutal, gut-churning, and grotesque, but Dorohedoro also carries with it a great sense of humor. Granted, the comedy in Dorohedoro tends to be phenomenally dark. Lately, as Dorohedoro continues to steadily progress along what I believe will be it’s final major story arc, the series has become fairly intense and serious, but it remains exceptionally weird and has yet to completely lose its humor. The plot of Dorohedoro does meander a bit and because it’s been so long since I’ve read the previous volumes I’m sure that I’ve forgotten a few important details as the story takes multiple convoluted turns along the way. Ultimately, it doesn’t seem to really matter though since the world and characters of of Dorohedoro follow and operate under their own peculiar sort of logic; Dorohedoro doesn’t need to make a lot of sense in order to be bizarrely enjoyable.

FukuFuku: Kitten Tales, Volume 1FukuFuku: Kitten Tales, Volumes 1-2 by Kanata Konami. Before there was Chi’s Sweet Home there was FukuFuku Funyan, Konami’s cat manga which started in the late 1980s. The series featured an elderly woman and her cat FukuFuku. More recently, Konami created FukuFuku: Kitten Tales, a spinoff of FukuFuku’s first series which, as can be accurately assumed by the manga’s title, shares stories from the loveable feline’s youth. While Konami’s artwork in FukuFuku: Kitten Tales is black-and-white rather than being full-color and the manga is only two-volumes long rather than being twelve, the series is otherwise very similar in format to Chi’s Sweet Home. It’s actually been quite a while since I’ve read any of Chi’s Sweet Home, but FukuFuku: Kitten Tales feels like it might be a little more episodic as well. However, it is still an incredibly cute series. Each chapter is only six pages or so but manages to tell a complete story, accurately portraying the everyday life and antics of a kitten. FukuFuku: Kitten Tales isn’t especially compelling or creative as far as cat manga goes, but it is an adorable series which consistently made me smile and even chuckle from time to time.

Magia the Ninth, Volume 2Magia the Ninth, Volume 2 by Ichiya Sazanami. I enjoyed the first volume of Magia the Ninth immensely. I’m not really sure I could call it a good manga per se, and I don’t think I would necessarily recommend it broadly, but personally I got a huge kick out of it. That being said, I can’t say that I’m surprised that the series only lasted two volumes. (I don’t know for certain, but I get the feeling that Magia the Ninth was cancelled.) What did surprise me was how well Sazanami was able to pull everything together to conclude the manga in a coherent (and almost satisfying) fashion when obviously it was intended to be a series on a much grander scale. To be honest, Magia the Ninth probably would have done much better for itself if the manga had had that level of focus from the very beginning. Magia the Ninth is a strange and somewhat goofy little series about demons, magic, and music. While the series wasn’t always the most comprehensible, it’s stylishly drawn, has tremendous energy, and even manages to effectively incorporate legitimate music history into the story. Magia the Ninth may not have lived up to its potential, but I had fun with it.

The Prince in His Dark Days, Volume 2The Prince in His Dark Days, Volumes 2-3 by Hico Yamanaka. More and more of The Prince in His Dark Days seems to revolve around Itaru, but at this point I would still consider Atsuko, who is serving as Itaru’s double, to be the real lead of the manga. Unfortunately, Atsuko is casually threatened with sexual violence on a regular basis in the series which frankly makes me uncomfortable. In general, the power dynamics in The Prince in His Dark Days tend to be fairly disconcerting. It doesn’t really help when other characters’ try to play it off as a joke, either. If anything, it only seems to emphasize the fact that so many of them are unrepentant jerks. I know that I’m supposed to empathize with some of their personal struggles, but I find it difficult to spare a lot of sympathy for entitled assholes. However, the themes that Yamanaka explores in The Prince in His Dark Days are of tremendous interest to me, most notably those of gender expression and sexual identity. I also appreciate the manga’s melancholy mood and the slow blossoming of love in unexpected places. There’s only one volume left in The Prince in His Dark Days and despite some of my reservations about the series I am curious to see how it ends.

The Three-Body ProblemThe Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu. If my memory serves me right, The Three-Body Problem is actually the first contemporary Chinese novel that I’ve read. It initially came to my attention when it became the first work in translation to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel. Interestingly, when The Three-Body Problem was translated into English by Ken Liu, the order of the chapters was restored to what the author originally intended and a few additional changes were made in consideration of some of the real-world scientific advances that had developed since the novel was first published in China. As a novel that leans heavily on hard science, I found The Three-Body Problem to be fascinating. (At one point in my life, I actually considered going into theoretical physics.) But what makes The Three-Body Problem so compelling are the social aspects of the narrative. In particular, China’s Cultural Revolution and the characters’ responses to it play a critical role in the story’s development. The Three-Body Problem is the first book in a trilogy, Remembrance of Earth’s Past, and so while largely being a satisfying novel on its own, it’s obviously only the beginning of a larger work. I definitely plan on reading the rest.

Manga the Week of 4/26/17

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SEAN: For a non-Yen final week of the month, this is pretty ridiculously busy.

J-Novel Club has the 2nd volume of The Faraway Paladin, whose first volume I greatly enjoyed. Looking forward to this more serious take on the ‘reincarnated in another world’ genre.

Kodansha has piles of new volumes for fans of their old Del Rey series out digitally. Gakuen Prince 12, Nodame Cantabile 18, Princess Resurrection 12, Pumpkin Scissors 11, and School Rumble 19.

ASH: Oh! Nodame Cantabile! I actually still have the volumes that Del Rey released; glad I’ll be able to finish the series. (Though, as always, I will continue to hope for a print edition, as unlikely as it is.)

SEAN: There’s also new digital volumes of their newer series. The Full-Time Wife Escapist 2, House of the Sun 4, and Peach Heaven 2. Definitely interested in more Wife Escapist, which I really enjoyed.

MICHELLE: Yay for Nodame and House of the Sun and escapee wives!

ANNA: I can’t believe I’m so far behind in digital releases, wait, it it is totally believable. Sounds like I need to check out the Full-Time Wife Escapist for sure.

SEAN: In new digital releases, though you can’t seem to preorder them yet, we have DAYS, another soccer manga from the creator of Over Drive that runs in Weekly Shonen Magazine.

MICHELLE: Being sports manga, I am of course duly excited for DAYS. In fact, I think I’ve now officially lost count of how many sports manga series are being released here.

ASH: I’m enjoying this surprising sports manga renaissance, too!

SEAN: And there’s also Tsurezure Children, a 4-koma romance series from Bessatsu Shonen that deals with a varied cast. It looks cute.

In print Kodansha, we have the 21st volume of Attack on Titan. Will we finally get to that pesky basement of Eren’s dad?

ASH: One of these days, maybe!

SEAN: The 4th and final volume of the Fairy Girls spinoff is out.

And a 4th volume of Happiness.

ASH: I already need to get caught up with Happiness. I’m not especially interested in vampires, but I really liked the first volume.

SEAN: Seven Seas has an 11th volume of D-Frag!. Get your tsukkomi ready!

And also a 12th Devils and Realist.

Magical Girl Apocalypse has somehow made it to 11 volumes, despite all the hate rays coming from my eyes.

And Monster Musume has a Vol. 11 as well.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation’s 5th volume will satisfy fans of (again) reincarnated in another world series.

And My Monster Secret has a 6th volume. I always look forward to this series.

Vertical has the 3rd and final volume of the Bakemonogatari novels, this one focused on Tsubasa Hanekawa, the bespectacled class president. Fear not, though, Nisemonogatari begins in June.

Vertical Comics has the 8th and I believe final omnibus of Tokyo ESP.

Viz has a digital only debut this week: ēlDLIVE, a shonen sci-fi series from the creator of Reborn! and will likely appeal to fans of same, though I’m not sure if it has as much BL tease as Reborn! did. It’s definitely harder to type, though.

Yen Digital has a 9th Aoharu x Machinegun, and a 10th Corpse Princess.

Lastly, Yen On shuffles out four more volumes of the Spice & Wolf novel series digitally – Books 11-14.

April brought a shower of manga and light novels. What are you getting?

My Week in Manga: April 10-April 16, 2017

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My News and Reviews

Last week at Experiments in Manga was relatively quiet, but I did post the Bookshelf Overload for March. As mentioned in that post (and I think sometime prior to that as well), I’m currently in the process of changing jobs, so I’ve been a bit preoccupied to say the least. (If you follow me on Twitter, this largely explains my sporadic appearances there.) This week is my last week in my current position, so I’m understandably pretty busy with meetings and tying up loose ends and such. I still plan on finishing up and posting my review of the first volume of Nagabe’s The Girl from the Other Side sometime this week, but it will probably be towards the end.

Over the last week, Seven sees announced a couple more new licenses: Yoshikazu Takeuchi’s Perfect Blue novels (which were the basis for Satoshi Kon’s anime film of the same name) as well as Jin and Sayuki’s manga series Nirvana. Yen Press also had a slew of announcements: Natsume Ono’s ACCA 13 (probably the one I’m most excited about), Kudan Naduka and Nakoto Sanada’s Angel of Slaughter, Matoba’s As Miss Beelzebub Likes, Rihito Takarai’s Graineliers, Afro’s Laid-Back Camp?, Mufirushi Shimazaki’s The Monster Tamer Girls, Koromo’s A Polar Bear in Love, Matcha Hazuki’s One Week Friends, Fuse’s Regarding Reincarnating as Slime light novel (Kodansha Comics has licensed the manga), both the light novel and manga of Carlo Zen’s The Saga of Evil Tanya, Okina Baba’s light novel So I’m a Spider, So What?, Keiichi Shigusawa and Tadadi Tamori’s Sword Art Online: Alternative Gun Gale Online, Abec’s Sword Art Online Artworks artbook, Reki Kawahara and Shii Kiya’s Sword Art Online: Calibur, Mai Tanaka’s Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School, Kakashi Oniyazu’s Though You May Burn to Ash, and Ryousuke Asakura’s Val X Love.

As for crowdfunding efforts, Digital Manga will be launching its most recent Juné Kickstarter sometime later today in an effort to publish print editions of some of Psyche Delico’s manga which were previously only released digitally. (This is in addition to recently announced print licenses of Psyche Delico’s Even a Dog Won’t Eat It and Choco Strawberry Vanilla.) Another Kickstarter project to keep an eye on is Retrofit Comic’s Spring 2017 collection which includes Yuichi Yokoyama’s Iceland. (In general Retrofit Comics releases some great books, but this will be the publisher’s first manga to be translated.) Finally, the wonderful people behind Queer Japan are currently raising funds for the film’s post-production as well as some of the non-profit organizations featured in the documentary.

Quick Takes

Dawn of the Arcana, Volume 7Dawn of the Arcana, Volumes 7-13 by Rei Toma. I enjoyed the first part of Dawn of the Arcana a great deal and so was looking forward to reading the rest of the series. As the manga progresses it becomes less reliant on the standard fantasy tropes that form its base, although it never escapes them entirely. However, even considering this, Dawn of the Arcana is still a satisfying and enjoyable series. The story’s most dramatic plot twist I guessed at long before it was actually revealed, but there were still developments and directions that the story took that managed to surprise me. At times it felt like Dawn of the Arcana was only scratching the surface, as if the manga was only providing a summary version of a much more complicated narrative. The characters and story have depth to them, but not everything is thoroughly and completely explored, much of the more nuanced interpretations being left to the readers to form. I really liked Dawn of the Arcana. It can be heartbreaking–the characters’ struggling with circumstances that have no easy resolutions–but also thrilling as they find ways to take control of their own fates.

Murciélago, Volume 1Murciélago, Volume 1 by Yoshimurakana. I was forewarned about the violence, gore, and otherwise explicit nature of Murciélago, so I was well aware of what I was getting myself into by picking up the manga. Murciélago is ridiculous, absurd, extreme, over-the-top, and a great deal of fun if someone doesn’t have a problem with the series’ aforementioned blood and brutality. Interestingly, the risqué lesbian sex scenes which both open and close the first volume, while being deliberately lewd, scandalous, and outrageous are also entirely consensual and in a way are bizarrely one of the more wholesome aspects of the manga. The lead of Murciélago is Kuroko Koumori, a dangerous, murderous, and lecherous woman who has been sentenced to death for her crimes. Kuroko is a monster and is portrayed as such. (She’s an awful person, but I really like her as a character.) The only reason that she’s still alive is that the police have indefinitely postponed her execution in order to take advantage of her impressive skills as an assassin. So, yeah, Murciélago definitely isn’t a series for everyone, but I certainly plan on reading more of it.

Triton of the Sea, Omnibus 2Triton of the Sea, Omnibus 2 (equivalent to Volumes 3-4) by Osamu Tezuka. It has been a very long time since I read the first half of Triton of the Sea. So long ago in fact that I had forgot that I hadn’t actually finished the series yet. Fortunately, the manga was pretty easy to pick up again. I seem to like Triton of the Sea best when the story centers its focus on family. In the first omnibus, it was Triton’s relationships with his human family that really captured my attention and in the second it was his experiences as a new father that most delighted me. (It probably didn’t hurt that the baby merfolk were super cute.) Triton of the Sea is also a story of revenge. Triton is determined destroy the Poseidon clan for the sake of his people who have been nearly driven to extinction, his desire for retribution blinding him from seeing other courses of action that might allow the two clans to establish a lasting peace. This of course only serves to continue the cycle of violence that puts him and his loved ones in danger. Triton of the Sea isn’t Tezuka’s strongest or most notable work, but I did appreciate the themes that Tezuka was exploring with the series.

Wandering Island, Volume 1Wandering Island, Volume 1 by Kenji Tsuruta. The premise of Wandering Island is fairly simple: Mikura Amelia is a pilot for an air delivery service based in the Izu Islands that she and her grandfather established together. When he unexpectedly passes away, she understandably takes it pretty hard. While in mourning she discovers package among her grandfather’s belongings with an address on it that shouldn’t exist, leading Mikura to become obsessed with a search for a mysterious, disappearing island. Although there are some wonderful scenes of Mikura in flight, there’s not really much action in Wandering Island. Instead, the manga is rather leisurely paced with a contemplative and melancholic feel to it. Wandering Island is also beautifully illustrated, Tsuruta’s artwork being one of the series’ highlights. I love how Tsuruta is able to capture a sense of place and the people who live there. I’m not sure when or if the second volume of Wandering Island will be published in English (the Japanese edition itself isn’t even scheduled to be released until next month), but I would definitely like to see it translated.

Horses, Horses, in the End the Light Remains PureHorses, Horses, in the End the Light Remains Pure: A Tale That Begins with Fukushima by Hideo Furukawa. Fukushima has been on my mind lately which reminded me of the fact that I had yet to read Furukawa’s Horses, Horses, in the End the Light Remains Pure, one of the first major literary responses to the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disasters associated with March 11, 2011. The work is rather curious, but it’s also worthwhile and powerful. In part it’s a sequel of sorts to Furukawa’s novel Seikazoku (The Holy Family), which hasn’t actually been released in English. However, familiarity with that earlier work isn’t at all necessary. Horses, Horses, in the End the Light Remains Pure also delves into the history of Fukushima as a whole, both before and after 2011. But perhaps most importantly, it’s an incredibly personal memoir. Though he was away at the time, Furukawa was originally from Fukushima. Soon after the disasters struck, he traveled back to the area in order to witness the aftermath of the events himself. A fair amount of the volume is devoted to Furukawa’s profound experiences while on that trip, combining fiction, history, and biography in a compelling way.

Pick of the Week: Endings and Beginnings

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SEAN: An avalanche of stuff this week. Baccano!, Horimiya, Sword Art Online… so many things. I think I have to go with the final Fruits Basket, which has been a fantastic re-release, and one of the best shoujo out there. Buy it and be frustrated by the final side pairings!

MICHELLE: I love Horimiya and Liselotte and Fruits Basket, but my most exuberant squee is reserved for the latest omnibus of Yowamushi Pedal!

KATE: I don’t know much about Yokai Diary, though the cover art and promotional blurb irresistibly remind me of the kind of manga TOKYOPOP used to license by the truckload. Count me in for this one!

ASH: I’m definitely torn this week. Like Michelle, I’m probably most excited for Yowamushi Pedal (and the wait between omnibuses seems far too long), but like Kate, the debut of Ghost Diary has definitely caught my attention.

ANNA: Ghost Diary does look interesting, that will have to be my pick as well!

MJ: There’s a big part of me that wants to go with Ghost Diary but the cover art has me all conflicted… Do I trust Seven Seas enough to give it a shot? I don’t know. In the interest of safety, I’ll join Sean in celebrating the last of the gorgeous Fruits Basket omnibus series. I’m pretty thrilled with that.

Manga the Week of 4/19

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SEAN: It’s another one of those weeks next week. Hunker down.

We start off with J-Novel Club, which has the 3rd volume of Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash. This is the first book that wasn’t adapted to the anime (which stopped with Book 2), and is apparently even more grim than Grimgar normally is.

Kodansha has its usual plethora of digital-only license rescues next week. Alive 13, Gakuen Prince 11, Pumpkin Scissors 10, and Yozakura Quartet 9.

ANNA: I liked some of these when they were coming out, but probably not enough to snag them as digital only. Still, this is so nice for fans of these series who were left in limbo before!

SEAN: If you enjoy Attack on Titan’s anime adaptation, which has just started up again, Kodansha has Attack on Titan: The Anime Guide.

And Attack on Titan: Before the Fall has now reached double-digits, and still has more plot to go.

ASH: Overall, I do like the Before the Fall manga more than I like the original light novel; it seems more well-developed to me.

SEAN: Kodansha had some digital-only debuts THIS week, which I didn’t mention last week as Kodansha didn’t announce them till the day they came out, much to my frustration. The first is Domestic Girlfriend, a shonen romantic drama from the creator of fan-favorite GE Good Ending. It’s the shonen equivalent to those “shoujo potboilers” I talk about.

The second is a more familiar face: GTO: Paradise Lost has its first volume out. This has been running on Crunchyroll’s manga list for some time. It features Onizuka… in jail?

MJ: Hmmmm, I’m always a fan of GTO, so I may check this out.

SEAN: Back to next week: Kiss Him Not Me! has also reached double digits, and will likely go longer now that Kae has been reassured she doesn’t have to worry about stringing her guys along.

Maga-Tsuki has 13 volumes, and this is the 7th, so it’s the halfway point.

And there’s a 4th Welcome to the Ballroom, which I expect features our lead collapsing in exhaustion.

MICHELLE: Heh.

ANNA: Already behind on this series!

SEAN: One Peace has more than one title out this week! The first is the 4th volume of heartwarming, oddball, and sort of creepy Kuma Miko.

And there’s a 7th volume of Rise of the Shield Hero, for those who like isekai-style male power fantasies.

Seven Seas has an 11th Dragonar Academy.

Ghost Diary is the debut from Seven Seas, a supernatural fantasy from Dengeki Daioh that, at 3 volumes, is at least short. That said, it looks more on the Ancient Magus’ Bride end of the spectrum.

ASH: I’m really curious about this one! (Also, I didn’t realize it was only three volumes.)

ANNA: Huh, that sounds manageable.

SEAN: I missed a SuBLime title last week; they also have a 2nd volume of Spiritual Police.

MJ: Somehow I must have missed this first volume. But based on the title alone, I’m inclined to check it out.

SEAN: Vertical Comics gives us a 4th volume of Immortal Hounds.

Viz has a double dose of Tokyo Ghoul. Not only do we get the 12th volume, but we also get another novel based off the series, called Past.

And now let’s jump into Yen, starting with the light novels from Yen On. The Asterisk War has a 3rd volume of magical school battles.

Baccano! has a 4th volume the last one to be adapted to the anime. That said, the anime cut about half the novel from its adaptation, so there’s lots of new content for fans to get into here.

Black Bullet’s 6th volume wraps up another two-volume arc. Will it be depressing? Bet on it.

The Devil Is a Part-Timer! has a 7th volume that is composed of short stories set towards the start of the series.

Goblin Slayer’s 2nd volume promises a lot more… well, goblin slaying.

The Irregular at Magic High School’s 4th volume will wrap up its tournament arc, and is a very long book. It would be the longest out this month except…

Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? tops it, with this 8th volume (ALSO composed of short stories) hitting 400 pages or so.

KonoSuba rolls out its 2nd volume only two months after its first (I think the first was meant to be December), and hopefully will be as hilarious as that first volume was.

The debut novel is much anticipated. Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers, a fantasy with heroes and stuff that… OK, I know extremely little about, but I look forward to finding out.

Sword Art Online has a 10th volume, and Kirito is still stuck in Alice-land. Will he and Eugeo be able to rescue her? And will our other regulars get mentioned at all?

MJ: i have fallen way behind in my SAO reading… going to have to fix that.

SEAN: As for Yen’s manga titles, there’s a 10th Akame Ga KILL!.

Alice in Murderland has a 6th volume of very very pretty looking murder.

Aoharu x Machinegun has a 4th print volume.

ASH: So far I’ve only read the first volume of Aoharu x Machinegun, but I found it entertaining and so plan on reading at least a few more volumes.

SEAN: And A Certain Magical Index’s 9th manga volume is adapting the 7th light novel.

Fruits Basket’s Collector’s Edition comes to an end with the 12th and final omnibus. Given the series only had 23 volumes, I expect there will be a lot of extra content at the end to fill it out.

ASH: I’m really glad that Fruits Basket is back in print again. I’ve been meaning to give it a re-read; looks like the time is right for that.

MICHELLE: There was at least one fan book, and maybe two. So I guess a bunch of that stuff will be at the end.

MJ: So much love for this. So much.

ANNA: Looking forward to fan books!

SEAN: Horimiya’s 7th volume will have great romantic comedy and hopefully not have the binding fall apart on me like the 6th volume did.

ASH: Oh, no!

MICHELLE: Yay, Horimiya!

SEAN: KonoSuba also has a 3rd volume of its manga adaptation.

Liselotte & Witch’s Forest has a 4th volume, for a double shot of Takaya.

And everyone’s favorite guilty pleasure, Scum’s Wish, has volume 3.

ASH: I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the first two volumes.

MICHELLE: Me, too.

SEAN: Taboo Tattoo has a 6th volume, and I’m sorry this is starting to sound like a broken record, but I have little to say about these titles.

And I believe this is the 3rd and final volume of survival game manga Tohyo Game.

Finally, Yowamushi Pedal gives us a 5th omnibus or this cycling manga and its desperately earnest hero.

ASH: Woo-hoo! I enjoy Yowamushi Pedal so much! I wish there wasn’t such a wait between omnibuses.

MICHELLE: Same! For a series so long, even the omnibus treatment is going to take forever.

SEAN: That’s a ridiculous amount of manga. Are you getting any?

Bookshelf Overload: March 2017

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Well then, I managed to acquire a rather large number of books in March. Unexpectedly, most of them weren’t even manga. In part this was due to a bunch of comics that I had previously backed on Kickstarter showing up last month. I can also thank both online retailers and my local comic book store for offering some massive discounts throughout March. (On top of that, I have a tendency to buy books when I’m under stress. Seeing as I’m in the process of transferring from one job to another, there’s been a fair amount of added stress lately, too.) But as for the manga I picked up in March: I was particularly delighted to come across Mitsuru Adachi’s Short Program, which has been out of print for a while now. I also decided to give Kazune Kawahara’s High School Debut a try since I’ve been enjoying My Love Story!! so incredibly much. I was admittedly a little surprised to come across The Secret Devil-chan, Volume 1 by Emu, the first book to be released under Digital Manga’s new PeCChi imprint. The book has actually been available since September I think, but only directly from Digital Manga; I wasn’t sure if any of the publisher’s titles were still being released outside of it’s own web stores. And while 100 Manga Artists isn’t manga it certainly is manga-related. I didn’t realize it at first but it turns out the volume is actually a revised and updated edition of Manga Design which was released back in 2004 (and which I also own). I haven’t had a chance to closely compare the two, but 100 Manga Artists is nevertheless an interesting resource.

Manga!
Bungo Stray Dogs, Volume 2 written by Kafka Asagiri, illustrated by Sango Harukawa
Crimson Shell by Jun Mochizuki
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Volume 16 written by Yuto Tsukuda, illustrated by Shun Saeki
Hana & Hina After School, Volume 1 by Milk Morinaga
High School Debut, Volumes 1-5 by Kazune Kawahara
Kaze Hikaru, Volume 24 by Taeko Watanabe
Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl, Volume 1 by Canno
Maid-sama!, Omnibus 3 by Hiro Fujiwara
New Lone Wolf and Cub, Volume 8 written by Kazuo Koike, illustrated by Hideki Mori
One-Punch Man, Volume 11 written by One, illustrated by Yusuke Murata
The Prince in His Dark Days, Volume 3 by Hico Yamanaka
Persona 3, Volume 3 by Shuji Sogabe
Prison School, Omnibus 6 by Akira Hiramoto
The Secret Devil-chan, Volume 1 by Emu
Scum’s Wish, Volumes 1-2 by Mengo Yokoyari
Sherlock: A Study in Pink by Jay
Short Program, Volumes 1-2 by Mitsuru Adachi
Sweetness and Lightning, Volume 4 by Gido Amagakuure
That Wolf-Boy Is Mine, Volume 2 by Yoko Nogiri

Comics!
Ancestor by Matt Sheean and Malachi Ward
Arclight written by Brandon Graham, illustrated by Marian Churchland
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Big Mushy Happy Lump by Sarah Andersen
Bones of the Coast edited by Shannon Campbell, Jeff Ellis, and Kathleen Jacques
Check Please!, Year 2 by Ngozi Ukazu
Crossed Wires, Volume 1 by Iris Jay
Compass South written by Hope Larson, illustrated by Rebecca Mock
Daughters by Bianca Bagnarelli
Extended Play by Jake Terrell
For the Love of God, Marie! by Jade Sarson
Hit: 1955 written by Bryce Carlson, illustrated by Vanesa R. Del Rey
Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash
Ignition Zero, Volume 1 by Noel Arthur Heimpel
Lafcadio Hearn’s The Faceless Ghost and Other Macabre Tales from Japan written by Sean Michael Wilson, illustrated by Michiru Morikawa
Larimar by Michael K
Last Man, Volume 4: The Show by Bastien Vivès, Michael Sanlaville, and Balak
Letters for Lucardo, Volume 1 by Noora Heikkilä
No Exit by Annie Mok
O Human Star, Volume 2 by Blue Delliquanti
Perfect Hair by Tommi Parrish
Power & Magic by Joamette Gil
Pretty Deadly, Volume 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Ríos
Princeless: Raven the Pirate Princess, Volume 1 written by Jeremy Whitley, illustrated by Ted Brandt and Rosy Higgins
Sakana, Volume 1 by Mad Rupert
Secure Connect by Carta Monir
Spacejinx, Volumes 1-2 by Ocicatsy and Wensleydale
Sprawling Heart by Sab Meynert
Sticks Angelica, Folk Hero by Michael DeForge
Wayward, Volume 4 by Jim Zubkavich and Steve Cummings
The Whipping Girl by Nuria Tamarit
Wilde Life, Volume 1 by Pascalle Lepas
Witchlight by Jessi Zabarsky
The Woods, Volume 1 by James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas
The Worrier’s Guide to Life by Gemma Correll
The Worst by Molly Mendoza

Artbooks!
100 Manga Artists edited by Amano Masanao and Julius Wiedemann
Infecta by Michael K
Otomo: A Global Tribute to the Mind Behind Akira by Various

Novels!
Dream of Ding Village by Lianke Yan
The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike
Orbital Cloud by Taiyo Fujii
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
The Silent Dead by Tetsuya Honda

Anthologies!
Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales by Yoko Ogawa

Anime!
Kyousougiga directed by Rie Matsumoto

Pick of the Week: ‘Tis the Season to Be Jellyfish

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MICHELLE: There are a lot of Kodansha releases that I’ll be picking up this week, both digitally and in print, but the one I look forward to the most is the fourth Princess Jellyfish omnibus. It’s always amusing, but offers character development, too!

SEAN: Yeah, out of everything here the thing I most want to read is definitely Princess Jellyfish, though I am intrigued by the new Fujishima title as well.

KATE: I don’t know if I can choose between the fourth volume of Princess Jellyfish and the second volume of Tokyo Tarareba Girls–that’s a little like being asked which of your kids you like best, y’know? Still, deciding between two Akiko Higashimura titles is a great dilemma to have. I’m also intrigued by Toppu GP, even if the title irresistibly reminds me of Ed Sullivan’s old mouse sidekick, so I’ll be checking that out, too.

ANNA: I am also going to throw in for Princess Jellyfish, although I need to read the 3rd volume too. Just more Princess Jellyfish to enjoy!

ASH: Princess Jellyfish is the obvious pick for me this week, too! Of course, I’m very happy to see the gorgeous new edition of Revolutionary Girl Utena finally make its way onto the shelves as well.

MJ: I’m rather torn this week, but I think I will also need to go with Princess Jellyfish. That Utena set is really alluring, though.

My Week in Manga: April 3-April 9, 2017

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My News and Reviews

Last week at Experiments in Manga the winner of the Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid manga giveaway was announced. The post also includes a list of some of the manga available in print in English which feature dragons. Also posted last week was a guest review by my friend Jocilyn. She was inspired to write about Canno’s Kiss & White Lily for My Dearest Girl, Volume 1, the most recent yuri manga to be released by Yen Press. As mentioned previously, I’m currently working on my own in-depth review of the first volume of The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, A Rún by Nagabe. It looks like I should be on track to post it sometime next week.

Elsewhere online, Seven Seas has completely revamped its website, adding new features like browsing by genre, launching a newsletter, and so on. It looks great and what’s more, there will be a regular survey which provides readers an opportunity to give feedback and submit license requests. As part of the launch of the new website, Seven Seas also announced a few new licenses: Touki Yanagimi and Youhei Yasumura’s Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon, Shin Mashiba’s Yokai Rental Shop (I loved Mashiba’s Nightmare Inspector, so I’m really looking forward this one), and an omnibus of Fumiyo Kouno’s In This Corner of the World (Kouno is the creator of Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms which is also excellent).

In other publishing news, some of Kodansha Comics digital-only titles were recently called digital-first, so there may yet be hope for print editions of some of the manga. I missed (or maybe forgot about) the initial announcement, but Titan Comics will be releasing Ravina the Witch? by Junko Mizuno in English later this year. (Ravina the Witch? was originally released in French in 2014.) In sadder news, Bruno Gmünder recently announced its bankruptcy (again). I’m not entirely sure what this will mean for the publisher’s past and future comics releases, including the Gay Manga line, but they might not stay in print long. (I’ve featured some of Bruno Gmünder’s releases here before; I’ll be sad to see them go if the publisher folds.)

As for a few of the interesting Kickstarters that I’ve discovered lately: Emily Cheeseman is raising funds to release the print edition of Gawain and the Green Knight, a beautiful webcomic that she’s been working on since 2015. I wasn’t previously familiar with the work of Elise Schuenke, but Living Space looks like it should be another great queer-themed comic. And speaking of queer-themed comics, the initial campaign for the Tabula Idem tarot anthology wasn’t successful but the creative team has revised and relaunched the project. Finally, anyone interested in Weird Al may be curious about Kelly Phillips’ comic memoir Weird Me about her experiences as the webmaster of a Weird Al fan site in her teens. (Weird Al’s music was a major touchstone for me growing up.)

Quick Takes

Dissolving ClassroomDissolving Classroom by Junji Ito. Lately there has been a resurgence in manga by Ito being released in English. In many cases they’ve actually been re-releases, but there have been a few newly-translated manga being published as well, Dissolving Classroom from Vertical Comics being the most recent example. I love Ito’s brand of horror manga and Dissolving Classroom was originally serialized in a josei magazine, so the volume was an obvious candidate for one of my most anticipated releases of the year. As expected, I thoroughly enjoyed the manga, but Dissolving Classroom didn’t end up leaving as strong of an impression on me as some of Ito’s earlier works. The loosely connected stories in Dissolving Classroom follow the demise of the people who meet Yuuma, a young man whose constant apologizing will literally make a person’s brain melt, and his incredibly creepy little sister Chizumi. Neither of the siblings are quite what they initially seem. Yuuma in particular comes across as a troubled but largely benign individual; very few people actually realize what’s going wrong before it’s too late. Dissolving Classroom is bizarre but certainly not the strangest manga that Ito has created. The visuals aren’t as shockingly memorable as some of Ito’s other series either, but they are still successfully disconcerting.

Everyone's Getting Married, Volume 1Everyone’s Getting Married, Volume 1 by Izumi Miyazono. While josei manga have recently become more common in translation (a trend that I would love to see continue), there still aren’t all that many to be found. I’ve generally enjoyed the josei manga that I’ve read in the past and I like to show my support for new releases, so I made a point to try Everyone’s Getting Married. Asuka is well-admired for her successful career, but what she really wants in life is to get married and become a housewife. When her boyfriend of five years unexpectedly dumps her, she suddenly finds herself looking for a new long-term relationship. That proves to be more difficult than she expected and unfortunately for her most likely candidate is Ryu, a man who has made it very clear that he has no interest in marriage. I’ve growing a little weary of high school romances, so I found Everyone’s Getting Married to be a wonderfully refreshing change of pace; I enjoyed reading about adults and their lives and relationships for once. I also like Asuka a great deal. She’s independent, knows what she wants out of life, and is willing to work hard for what is important to her. I’m looking forward to reading more about her and reading more of Everyone’s Getting Married.

Ghost in the Shell, Volume 1.5: Human-Error ProcessorGhost in the Shell, Volume 1.5: Human-Error Processor by Masamune Shirow. While I had previously read the first and second volumes of Ghost in the Shell, I had never actually read the manga’s third volume, something that I didn’t realize until Kodansha Comics recently re-released the entire series in a deluxe, hardcover edition. Even though it was the third volume of Ghost in the Shell to be collected and released, the events of Human-Error Processor take place between the first and second volumes (thus being numbered 1.5). The episodic chapters focus almost entirely Section 9 and the cases that group is investigating. A few intriguing new characters are introduced, but sadly the Major only makes the occasional guest appearance. Out of the three Ghost in the Shell volumes, Human-Error Processor is the most straightforward and easy to follow. While that’s something that I would generally welcome, the volume was somehow less interesting as a result even if it was more readable. As with the previous volumes in the series, some of the most interesting parts of the world-building in Human-Error Processor are actually only found in the footnotes instead of being directly incorporated into the manga.

NightlightsNightlights by Lorena Alvarez. It was the bold, vibrant colors and gorgeous illustrations of Nightlights that initially caught my attention. Alvarez is a Columbian illustrator; Nightlights is her first comic and my introduction to her work. Nightlights is about a little girl, Sandy, whose imagination takes flight at night. She gathers together small, mysterious, glowing lights and uses them to create anything that she can dream of. Come the day, she spends her time alone drawing what she has seen. It’s an innocent enough premise, but Nightlights can actually be pretty dark and some of the comic’s themes are fairly heavy. Nightlights could be described as an all-ages comic, but some younger readers might find it scary in places. There is also a depth and nuance to the comic and its narrative that only more mature readers will likely pick up on. Although the stories are notably different, Nightlights actually reminded me a little bit of the animated film The Secret of Kells which I likewise greatly enjoyed. Each in their own way the works are fairytale-like, telling stories about imagination, creation, and the unknown. Nightlights was a beautiful comic and I sincerely hope to see more work from Alvarez in the future.

Gone: A Girl, a Violin, a Life UnstrungGone: A Girl, a Violin, a Life Unstrung by Min Kym. In 2010, Kym’s Stradivarius was stolen from her in a London cafe. The violin was an integral part of her identity, not just as a musician but as a person, and its loss was devastating. Her burgeoning career as a soloist came to a sudden halt. The violin was recovered three years later, but circumstances didn’t allow Kym to reclaim the instrument as her own. Ultimately she had to put it up for auction, losing it once again. In part, Kym’s memoir Gone was written in an attempt to process these traumatic events, rediscover who she is, and move forward with her life. Telling her side of the story she recounts growing up as a child prodigy–as the youngest daughter, her family’s devotion to her talent as a violinist was at odds with their South Korean heritage–her development as a musician, and her relationships with the Stradivarius and the people around her. Gone is an incredibly heartfelt and personal memoir but it can be somewhat discursive; Kym’s style of writing is very informal and at times even chaotic. Her voice as an author isn’t as clear as her voice as a violinist, but her passion and pain resonates throughout Gone. Complementing the release of Kym’s memoir is a companion album available from Warner Classics.

Manga the Week of 4/12

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SEAN: Unlike Viz and Yen, Kodansha doesn’t usually pile it all on in one week. That said, hope you like Kodansha this week.

But first, J-Novel Club has a 2nd volume of Playing to Win in a VRMMO, the bulk of which is apparently a flashback to the time gap in the first book.

Kodansha continues to pump out digital-only series, both new and old Del Rey castoffs. For the former, we have the 2nd Ace of the Diamond, another Museum, and the second Tokyo Tarareba Girls. For the latter, new volumes of Gakuen Price, School Rumble, Yagyu Ninja Scrolls and the omnipresent Pumpkin Scissors.

MICHELLE: I kind of fell behind on keeping up with these, alas.

ANNA: I bought the first volume of Tokyo Tarareba Girls but haven’t read it yet, so far behind already.

ASH: I don’t know how much it really means, and I’m trying not to get my hopes up lest they be dashed, but Kodansha actually called some of these titles digital-first recently. I’d love to see more print editions!

SEAN: And there’s lots of print as well. Attack on Titan is so popular it’s not getting a Choose Your Own Adven… (cough) sorry, Choose Your Own Path Adventure, a totally not-litigious title, called Year 850: Last Stand at Wall Rose.

ASH: I’m really curious about this one; I loved gamebooks growing up. (And I have to admit, I still do.)

SEAN: Fairy Tail is up to Vol. 59, but I believe that this may be the final arc.

The Prince in His Dark Days is at Vol. 4. Are the days still dark?

MICHELLE: I believe this is the final volume, too.

SEAN: Princess Jellyfish’s 4th volume is probably the release I’m most excited about in this bunch.

MICHELLE: Me too.

ANNA: Indeed.

ASH: Still incredibly happy this series is being released!

MJ: Ack! I’m behind!

SEAN: But there’s also the debut of a new Kosuke Fujishima series. Toppu GP is the somewhat awkward title, and after combining fast bikes/cars with policewomen, goddesses and college kids, Kodansha is finally letting him actually do a racing manga. Should be fun.

MICHELLE: Huh. I suppose I should check it out.

SEAN: Seven Seas has a 5th volume of Not Lives, which I have Not Read in some time.

And a 7th volume of my “favorite” guilty pleasure (and by favorite I mean it makes me cringe so much but I read it anyway) Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn.

SuBLime has a 6th volume of The World’s Greatest First Love. (Spoil me, is it really that great?)

MICHELLE: No clue.

ASH: I find the series’ supposed romance much less compelling than its behind-the-scenes portrayal of the shoujo manga publishing industry.

SEAN: And Vertical gives us a 6th volume of Devil’s Line.

Lastly, there’s some more Viz. We have a 62nd volume of Case Closed. Catch up before you’re 63 volumes behind!

And a 20th Itsuwaribito, which I think may be nearing its end soon.

Magi reaches Vol. 23, and always makes me happy.

ANNA: So, so far behind on this title as well.

SEAN: And a 7th volume of Monster Hunter: Flash Hunter.

Lastly, the Revolutionary Girl Utena box set which got delayed at the last minute is now out in stores (unless Diamond shipped it to you early, like they did me). It’s the shoujo manga version of Utena, and I will leave it at that.

ASH: I actually haven’t read the series, but I have read the standalone manga The Adolescence of Utena which I loved and which is also included in this absolutely gorgeous box set.

SEAN: There’s a lot of variety this week. What appeals to you?

Manga Giveaway: Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid Giveaway Winner

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Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Volume 1And the winner of the Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid manga giveaway is… Kate!

As the winner, Kate will be receiving the delightful Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, Volume 1 by Coolkyousinnjya as published in English by Seven Seas. At first I was a little hesitant about reading Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, but ultimately I couldn’t deny the allure of dragons. And so for this giveaway, I asked that participants tell me a little about their favorite dragons from manga. I’ve collected some of the manga mentioned in the list below (along with some others), but be sure to check out the giveaway comments for everyone’s detailed responses.

Some of the manga with dragons available in English:
Akame ga Kill! written by Takahiro, illustrated by Tetsuya Tashiro
The Ancient Magus Bride by Kore Yamazaki
The Betrayal Knows My Name by Hotaru OdagiriCirque du Freak by Takahiro Arai
A Certain Magical Index written by Kazuma Kamachi, illustrated by Chuya Kogino
Crimson Spell by Ayano Yamane
Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui
The Demon Prince of Momochi House by Aya Shouoto
Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama
Dragon Drive by Kenichi Sakura
Dragon Half by Ryusuke Mita
Dragon Knights by Mineko Ohkami
Dragonar Academy written by Ran, illustrated by Shiki Mizuchi
Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima
Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya
From Far Away by Kyoko Hikawa
Fushigi Yûgi by Yuu Watase
Gate: Where the JSDF Fought written by Takumi Yanai, illustrated by Satoru Sao
High School DxD by Hiroji Mishima
The Key to the Kingdom by Kyoko Shitou
Kiss of the Rose Princess by Aya Shouoto
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time by Akira Himekawa
Legendz written by Rin Hirai, illustrated by Makoto Haruno
Lord Marksman and Vanadis written by Tsukasa Kawaguchi, illustrated by Nobuhiko Yanai
Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP
Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid by Coolkyousinnjya
Natsume’s Book of Friends by Yuki Midorikawa
Negima! by Ken Akamatsu
Petshop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino
Princess Mermaid by Junko Mizuno
Rave Master by Hiro Mashima
Read or Dream written by Hideyuki Kurata, illustrated by Ran Ayanaga
Record of Lodoss War: The Lady of Pharis written by Ryo Mizuno, illustrated by Akihiro Yamada
St. Dragon Girl by Natsumi Matsumoto
Tales of Zestiria by Shiramine
Tenryu: The Dragon Cycle by Sanami Matoh
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime written by Fuse, illustrated by Taiki Kawakami
Time Stranger Kyoko by Arina Tanemura
Two Flowers for the Dragon by Nari Kusakawa
X by CLAMP
Übel Blatt by Etorouji Shiono
Yona of the Dawn by Mizuho Kusanagi
Zero’s Familiar written by Noboru Yamaguchi, illustrated by Nana Mochizuki

Well now, that ended up being a fairly lengthy list, and I know that it’s not comprehensive, but it’s certainly a start. Whether they’re familiars, sidekicks, primary characters, or the stuff of legend, all sorts of dragons can be found in all sorts of manga. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your favorite dragons with me! I hope to see you all again for the next giveaway.

Pick of the Week: April Goodies

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SEAN: My non-manga pick of the week is the digital re-release of Louis Sachar’s Sideways Stories from Wayside School and its two sequels, aka MY CHILDHOOD TOUCHSTONE. But since it’s actually a manga site, I will pick the new volume of Assassination Classroom, aka “the one everyone has been waiting for”. I really love this series.

MICHELLE: I am all about the prose books, too, especially digital re-releases of favorites. But, yes, manga. This week I’m going with the debut volume of The Water Dragon’s Bride by Rei Toma, whose Dawn of the Arcana I enjoyed very much.

KATE: If I had to choose a title — and death was not an option — I’d vote for I Am a Hero. It’s a zombie manga for grown-ups, with adult characters, intense action sequences, and a protagonist who may or may not be going insane. If you’re a Walking Dead fan (comic or TV show), this might be in your wheelhouse.

ANNA: No surprise, I am torn between two great shoujo fantasy titles for my pick of the week. The Water Dragon’s Bride has an extremely strong first volume and the darker themes in the story really set it apart from typical shoujo fare. On the other hand, there’s the fifth volume of Yona of the Dawn, which is also an excellent fantasy series. I think the bickering, archery, and action puts Yona over the top for me, so that is my pick.

ASH: Oh, there are quite a few things that I’m interested in this week, so it’s hard to narrow it down to just one pick! Since it looks like the rest of the Manga Bookshelf crew has all the great shoujo fantasy well-represented, I’ll take this opportunity to mention Haikyu!! since it hasn’t been yet. I’m not especially interested in volleyball, but I’m enjoying the series’ positivity and energy immensely, and the characters are great, too.

My Week in Manga: March 27-April 2, 2017

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My News and Reviews

As regular readers of Experiments in Manga know, on the last Wednesday of every month I host a giveaway of some sort (usually manga-related) for which participants have a week to submit their entries. This time around the monthly giveaway is for the first volume of Coolkyousinnjya’s surprisingly delightful Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid. The winner will be announced this coming Wednesday, so you can still enter for a chance to win if you haven’t already. Also later this week, look for another guest review by my friend and fellow yuri manga fan Jocilyn. Elsewhere in the Manga Bookshelf sphere of blogs, The Manga Critic has started a monthly manga review index. There have been similar features in the past, perhaps most notably at MangaBlog, and I’ve always found them incredibly useful and valuable, so I’m glad to see Kate Dacey taking it on. Also in general, I highly recommend the content at The Manga Critic–Kate’s actually one of my major inspirations when it comes to manga blogging.

As for other interesting things I’ve come across recently: Chic Pixel’s Anne Lee has posted a really fantastic list of bibliographic resources for those curious about the academic study of boys’ love. (I’ve read quite a few books and articles myself, and even reviewed Jeffery Angles’ Writing the Love of Boys: Origins of Bishōnen Culture in Modernist Japanese Literature at Experiments in Manga a few years ago.) And if that’s not enough of BL studies for you, J. R. Brown has posted the slides from her Anime Boston panel “Boys’ Love, Otome Culture, and Gender” which covers everything from the origin of shoujo manga to gay comics and more. On their own the slides are fairly informative, but I’m looking forward to seeing the annotated version, too.

Also at Anime Boston, Viz Media made quite a few licensing announcements. Some were digital-only while others were digital-first or print-only. Here’s a quick list of the books that will eventually make their way into print: Kenta Shinohara’s Astra Lost in Space, Abi Umeda’s Children of Whales (I’m particularly curious about this series), an omnibus edition of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata’s Death Note collecting the entire series and a bonus epilogue in a single volume, Nisioisin’s Hikaru Nakamura’s novel Juni Taisen: Zodiac Warriors (I’m not familiar with the novel, but the creators involved have certainly caught my attention), Kenji Taira’s Naruto: Chibi Sasuke’s Sharingan Legend, Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu’s The Promised Neverland (which is supposed to be fantastic), a collection of nine Junji Ito stories and accompanying material selected by Ito himself called Shiver (always glad to see more Ito being released in English), Maki Enjoji’s SP Baby, and Sui Ishida’s artbook Tokyo Ghoul Illustrations.

A couple of Kickstarter projects recently launched which may be of interest as well: All the Anime/Anime Limited is joining forces with Studio 4°C to create a home video release of Masaaki Yuasa’s directorial debut Mind Game. Digital Manga has entered the fray again with a campaign to release more of Osamu Tezuka’s manga in print: Ambassador Magma, Dust 8, The Euphrates Tree, Metamorphose, Say Hello to Bookila, The Thief Inoue Akikazu, Wonder 3, and Yakeppachi’s Maria. It looks as though the print runs will be very limited and Kickstarter may be the only way to get a hold of some of the titles. (I have to admit, I certainly have my qualms about Digital Manga’s business practices in general and over-reliance on crowdfunding specifically. The quality of Digital Manga’s releases has really gone downhill over the last few years, too. Honestly, I’ve lost most of my confidence in the company as a publisher, but it’s managed not to completely go under yet.)

Quick Takes

Dawn of the Arcana, Volume 1Dawn of the Arcana, Volumes 1-6 by Rei Toma. I generally enjoy epic fantasy of the shoujo variety, so I’m not entirely sure why it’s taken me so long to finally get around to reading Dawn of the Arcana. So far, I’m enjoying the manga tremendously. Nakaba is a princess who has been married off to a prince of the neighboring kingdom despite her questionable ancestry in a half-hearted attempt to secure peace between the two countries. But instead, gifted with the ability to see both into the past and into the future, Nakaba may find herself in the unlikely position of leading a revolution. Dawn of the Arcana does come across as a rather typical example of high fantasy–all the way down to the heroine’s fiery red hair–but even though it hasn’t really made itself stand out yet, the manga is a solid series. I greatly enjoyed the manga’s mix of court and political intrigue, action, and complicated interpersonal relationships. Much like the story, the artwork tends to be somewhat standard although attractive. Toma’s backgrounds are generally fairly sparse, but the details put into things like the characters’ clothing is lovely. I definitely look forward to reading more of Dawn of the Arcana in the very near future.

Hana & Hina After School, Volume 1Hana & Hina After School, Volume 1 by Milk Morinaga. I believe that Morinaga is currently the most well-represented yuri manga creator available in English. So far, five of Morinaga’s manga have been translated, the most recent being Hana & Hina After School. Interestingly, in Japan the manga was serialized in a magazine aimed at a general audience rather than one specifically catering to yuri fans. The titular Hana and Hina are two young women working part time at a store specializing in cute character goods even though their high school forbids its students from holding jobs. The story follows their relationship as they become friends and slowly realize that their feelings may evolve into something else. Like most of Morinaga’s other manga that I’ve read, Hana & Hina After School tends to be rather cute and sweet. The series is enjoyable and pleasant even if it is at times a little silly and somewhat unbelievable. However, the end of the first volume does introduce some sobering concerns when Hina is confronted by a few of her classmates homophobia, an unfortunate reality that many yuri manga tend to gloss over or ignore entirely in favor of pure fantasy. (Granted, that fantasy is important to have, too.)

Scum's Wish, Volume 1Scum’s Wish, Volumes 1-2 by Mengo Yokoyari. I wasn’t initially planning to pick up Scum’s Wish, but after reading a few positive reviews of the series I decided to give it a try after all. The cover art of the first volume is deliberately provocative, but the manga isn’t nearly as salacious as it might imply. In fact, the series can actually be surprisingly contemplative. Scum’s Wish is a manga about unrequited love. Almost every character in the series is pining for someone with whom an involved romance would seem to be impossible or at least inadvisable, resulting in a complex web of personal relationships fraught with loneliness and anguish. (There is one heck of a love polygon going on in Scum’s Wish and nearly everyone who is introduced is connected to it somehow.) Hanabi is in love with Narumi, her childhood friend who now also happens to be her homeroom teacher. Mugi is in love with Akane, a music instructor who used to be his tutor. Recognizing that they are suffering under very similar circumstances and hoping to ease some of the pain, Hanabi and Mugi agree to find comfort in a relationship together. Neither one of them is in love with the other, but they are both aware of and take advantage of that fact.

Deep RedDeep Red by Hisashi Nozawa. Although perhaps best known as a screenwriter, Nozawa was also recognized as an accomplished novelist. Deep Red, which earned Nozawa an Eiji Yoshikawa Prize in 2001, is his first novel to be released in English. Kanako is the only survivor of the mass murder of her family, simply because she happened to be away on a school trip when her parents and two younger brothers were killed. Understandably, their deaths have left a great wound, but Kanako isn’t the only one left troubled and hurt–the life of Miho, the daughter of the murderer, has also been irrevocably changed. At times, Deep Red is uncomfortably voyeuristic and there’s a peculiar fixation on Kanako’s body and sex life with her boyfriend. I was never entirely convinced by Kanako as a character, either. However, Deep Red does provide an interesting psychological exploration of hate, anger, and misplaced revenge. The novel is instantly engaging. However, the middle portion of the narrative is repetitive and does drag a fair bit; I admittedly started to lose my interest and patience with the story. But once Kanako becomes obsessed with and decides to pursue Miho, Deep Red picks up speed again and the novel’s ending is very satisfying.

Manga the Week of 4/5/17

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SEAN: We’re near April Fools’ Day, and while I normally tend to shun it, I will make one overture to the holiday by doing next week’s manga list in reverse order.

So let’s start with Viz Media and Yu-Gi-Oh!. The seemingly endless franchise is starting a new series, this one called Arc V.

Yona of the Dawn gets a 5th volume, and is always near the top of my must-read list.

MICHELLE: And mine, as well.

ASH: I’ll be reading it soon, too!

ANNA: It is so consistently good.

SEAN: World Trigger has a 15th volume for Shonen Jump fans.

The big debut this week is The Water Dragon’s Bride, which is by Rei Toma, author of Dawn of the Arcana, and runs in Shogakukan’s shoujo/josei crossover magazine Cheese!. Expect fantasy and spunky female leads.

MICHELLE: Having enjoyed Dawn of the Arcana quite a lot, I’m really looking forward to this one!

ASH: I actually just started reading Dawn of the Arcana for the first time. I’m really enjoying the series, so I may need to make a point to pick up The Water Dragon’s Bride, too.

ANNA: It is great, but the first volume is actually much darker than most shoujo manga I’ve read recently, so it is an interesting change of pace.

MJ: I’m actually even more interested after Anna’s “much darker” comment. So count me in!

SEAN: There’s an 8th Twin Star Exorcists.

So Cute It Hurts!! has hit 12 volumes, which frankly surprises me. And there are more to come.

MICHELLE: Ugh.

ANNA: I need to get caught up on this.

SEAN: The Rurouni Kenshin series gets a 2nd 3-in-1 volume.

ASH: Glad to see Viz keeping this series in print. (The VizBig editions were nicer, though.)

ANNA: It is one of those series that should be in print!

SEAN: And Naruto gets its 18th 3-in-1, which means it can now legally vote.

Kuroko’s Basketball has another omnibus, covering Volumes 9 and 10. Spoiler: basketball is played.

Honey So Sweet has a sweet 6th volume.

ANNA: It is so super-cute and adorable.

MJ: I haven’t been reading this, and maybe I should be.

MICHELLE: I think you’d like it!

SEAN: And Haikyu!! has hit double-digits. (Technically, so has Kuroko.)

ASH: Haikyu!!!! I’m still loving the series, by the way.

ANNA: It is a favorite series in my house, my kids devour each volume.

SEAN: Food Wars! gives us a 17th volume, and promises to make life difficult for our favorite haughty blonde heroine.

ASH: I really need to catch up with Food Wars! one of these days.

SEAN: The Demon Prince of Momochi House has defeated the other Aya Shouoto manga titles to become the Last One Standing, and here is its 8th volume.

MICHELLE: All of the last five titles are on my list, though it’s Haikyu!! and Food Wars! that I love the most. Well, Honey So Sweet is right up there, too.

ASH: The Demon Prince of Momochi House is my favorite of Shouoto’s manga currently in English, so I’m glad we’ll be getting more.

ANNA: I like it too!

SEAN: Viz debuts its Naruto spinoff Boruto, which is about the next generation of ninja children, and perfect for the three or four people who weren’t upset with the ending pairings.

MJ: Heh.

SEAN: Black Clover has a 6th volume, and we will see how much it apes other series and how much it tries to do its own thing.

As for Assassination Classroom 15: if you wondered if Kaede Kayano would ever do anything other than make flan and have a crush on the hero, this is the volume for you.

Lastly (for Viz), we have a 4th volume of 7th Garden, shipping on the 5th, just to keep things confusing.

Vertical has a Ghost in the Shell story collection out next week, imaginatively called Ghost in the Shell: 5 New Short Stories.

ASH: I’m actually really looking forward to this collection if for no other reason than the volume has a story by Toh EnJoe in it.

SEAN: There’s also a 9th Ajin.

Kodansha gives us a 13th volume of Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, well into its second round of witch shenanigans.

For fans of old Del Rey titles being restarted digitally, there’s new volumes of Alive, Princess Resurrection and Pumpkin Scissors out next week.

Back to print, with the 3rd volume of Fire Force, combining firefighters and the supernatural deftly.

And there’s a second volume of All-Rounder Meguru for more digital fun.

MICHELLE: Woot. Not that I’ve managed to keep up sufficiently to have read the first one yet.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has a third volume of ridiculous but fun series My Big Sister Lives In A Fantasy World, which may be the beach episode readers have dreamed of.

Dark Horse is reminding us they do manga by having a pile at once. We get a 3rd I Am A Hero omnibus, for all your zombie apocalypse needs.

Hatsune Miku: Rin-chan Now! is another in the endless Vocaloid franchise.

Blade of the Immortal has a 2nd omnibus, for those who missed its previous re-releases.

Lastly, there’s a 7th Astro Boy omnibus, for those who missed ITS previous re-releases.

Perceptive readers might think I did this backwards just to get the images to fit properly. LIES. It was totally due to April Fools. So what are you getting?