Ash Brown

Bookshelf Overload: October 2016

November 11, 2016 by Ash Brown

October brought quite a few interesting things to my shelves. The University of Hawaii Press, which publishes some excellent Japan-related materials, had a major sale celebrating its 69th anniversary. So as not to go overboard (which would have been incredibly easy to do) I limited myself to five books. I was especially excited that Modanizumu: Modernist Fiction from Japan, 1913-1938 was included in the sale–it’s been on my wishlist since I wrote my spotlight on Kaita Murayama a couple of years ago. Kodansha Comics continues to impress me with the range and variety of manga that it’s publishing this year. Some of the great Kodansha manga from October included (but certainly wasn’t limited to) the shoujo tribute anthology Neo-Parasyte F, The Ghost and the Lady, Volume 1 by Kazuhiro Fujita and of course Princess Jellyfish, Omnibus 3 by Akiko Higashimura. (Technically, that last one is a November release; my copy just arrived early). High on the list of other October manga for which I was particularly excited there’s Blue Morning, Volume 6 by Shoko Hidaka (actually released in September, but I finally got my hands on a copy) and Kitaro Meets Nurarihyon by Shigeru Mizuki. As for non-manga October releases, I’m hoping to make time to read the second novel in Ken Liu’s Dandelion Dynasty trilogy, The Wall of Swords, sooner rather than later. (The first volume, The Grace of Kings, was one of my favorite books from last year.) I must also mention the wonderful children’s book and poetry collection Are You an Echo?: The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko which I recently reviewed and highly recommend.

Manga!
Ajin: Demi-Human, Volume 8 by Gamon Sakurai
Attack on Titan: Lost Girls, Volume 1 by Ryosuke Fuji
Blue Morning, Volume 6 by Shoko Hidaka
Cells at Work!, Volume 1 by Akane Shimizu
Dawn of the Arcana, Volumes 1-7, 9, 12-13 by Rei Toma
The Ghost and the Lady, Volume 1 by Kazuhiro Fujita
I Am a Hero, Omnibus 2 by Kengo Hanazawa
Interviews with Monster Girls, Volume 1 by Petos
Kitaro Meets Nurarihyon by Shigeru Mizuki
My Love Story!!, Volume 10 written by Kazune Kawahara, illustrated by Aruko
Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai, Volume 1 by Hiroyuki Takei
Neo-Parasyte F by Various
Platinum End, Volume 1 written by Tsugumi Ohba, illustrated by Takeshi Obata
Princess Jellyfish, Omnibus 3 by Akiko Higashimura
Samejima-kun and Sasahara-kun by Koshino
The Secret Sakura Shares by Akira Hagio
Sweetness &Lightning, Volume 2 by Gido Amagakure
Ten Count, Volume 2 by Rihito Takarai
Yona of the Dawn, Volume 2 by Mizuho Kusanagi

Manhwa!
Goong: The Royal Palace, Volumes 2-7, 9-10 by Park SoHee

Comics!
Adulthood Is a Myth by Sarah Andersen
Eat Me by Megan Rose Gedris
Godzilla in Hell by James Stokoe
Food Baby by Lucie Byron
Hotblood!: A Centaur in the Old West by Toril Orlesky
Humanescent written by Jacques Nyemb
Kill 6 Billion Demons, Volume 1 by Tom Parkinson-Morgan
Love! Love! Fighting! by Sharean Morishita
Romeo X Julien, Act 2: The Lovers by Marina
Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown

Artbooks!
Fat Mermaids edited by Paige Hall
Hotblood! Foundry: Materials Book (1871-2016) by Toril Orlesky

Novels!
Deep Red by Hisashi Nozawa
Dandelion Dynasty, Book 2: The Wall of Swords by Ken Liu

Anthologies!
Modanizumu: Modernist Fiction from Japan, 1913-1938 edited by William Jefferson Tyler
Three-dimensional Reading: Stories of Time and Space in Japanese Modernist Fiction, 1911-1932 edited by Angela Yiu

Nonfiction!
Are You an Echo?: The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko written by David Jacobson, illustrated by Toshikado Hajiri
Bodies of Evidence: Women, Society, and Detective Fiction in 1990s Japan by Amanda C. Seaman
Reading Food in Modern Japanese Literature by Tomoko Aoyama
She Changed Comics: The Untold Story of the Women Who Changed Free Expression in Comics by Various
Whisky Japan: The Essential Guide to the World’s Most Exotic Whisky by Dominic Roskrow

Anime!
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun directed by Mitsue Yamazaki
Natsume’s Book of Friends, Seasons 1-2 directed by Takahiro Omori
Escaflowne: The Movie directed by Kazuki Akane

Manga the Week of 11/16

November 10, 2016 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: Life goes on. Somehow. And so does manga. Let’s see what’s coming out next week.

MICHELLE: *heavy sigh*

SEAN: Haikasoru has the 3rd volume of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, as a corrupt democracy battles a fascist dictatorship, with a third party making money off of both of them. Insert dark joke here.

MICHELLE: Heh.

ASH: Eyup.

ANNA: Sounds like a good time for me to finally pick this up.

SEAN: Kodansha gives us the 4th and final volume of Livingstone.

ASH: Intriguing premise with a somewhat uneven execution, but I’m still interested in seeing how it ends.

SEAN: And the 11th Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, which many thought would be the final volume, but… it isn’t.

ASH: Already the series has had some good stopping points. I do enjoy the manga, but I also wonder how long it can be stretched.

SEAN: Vertical has the second to last Tokyo ESP.

Do you like Gundam? Do you like serious, hardboiled, probably depressing Gundam? By the creator of the tragically unlicensed Moonlight Mile? You will love Viz’s debut of Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, then. Plus it ran in Big Comic Superior. Do you know how often that magazine gets a license? Never, that’s how often.

ANNA: I do like Gundam in general, but am not sure I am in the mood for depressing Gundam.

SEAN: Viz also has our yearly release of Ooku, with its 12th volume. If you like digital manga, Ooku 1-12 are also available digitally for the first time next week!

MICHELLE: Commence Kermit flail.

ASH: Always glad to see more of this series!

ANNA: EEEEEE!

MJ: Yes!

SEAN: And there’s a 6th and final volume of Sunny, probably my favorite Taiyo Matsumoto manga to date, even though I’ve fallen way behind on it.

MICHELLE: As have I.

ASH: It is a very good series.

SEAN: Terra Formars continues to be a resounding success despite all my best efforts. Here’s the 15th volume.

And Ultraman’s 6th volume is ultra good. (Sorry, witty comments are thin on the ground today.)

And Yen On has most of its November releases ship next week (one was moved to the week after), starting with the 9th volume of A Certain Magical Index. What happens when you combine science, magic, a citywide athletics festival, and a terrorist attack? If you guessed “shenanigans”, you win.

Durarara!! has a 5th volume that starts up a new story arc, as Izaya gets revenge for the lack of hotpot invites, and Mikado learns that running a “colorless” gang is not as easy as he thinks.

Log Horizon’s 6th volume is focused on Akatsuki, who finds her skills hitting a wall and her relationship with Shiroe doing much the same.

And lastly, another volume of Re: Zero, where we see if our hero can survive the next day, or if he keeps getting horribly murdered.

Take your mind off things. Read manga!

Pick of the Week: Still the King

November 7, 2016 by Michelle Smith, Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: My pick of the week is absolutely the third Princess Jellyfish omnibus, which has graduated from being in my Amazon cart to actually being pre-ordered.

SEAN: There are titles I may be looking forward to more, but I think my pick this week has to be Neo Parasyte f, simply as the idea of a bunch of shoujo artists giving their take on one of the iconic bizarre horror series is something I’d never have expected to get licensed here. Well done.

ASH: I am so glad that Princess Jellyfish and Neo Parasyte f have already been mentioned because that frees me to pick the most recent volume of Requiem of the Rose King! I love the series’ dark fantasy reimagining of the War of the Roses and Shakespeare’s plays. The manga’s artwork and the drama are both very striking, and I look forward to reading more.

ANNA: I am also torn between Princess Jellyfish and Requiem of the Rose King, but I have to go with Requiem of the Rose King, just because it is so unique and surreal.

MJ: I’m sure this is predictable for any long-time reader, but Requiem of the Rose King always, for me! It is exactly my kind of manga.

My Week in Manga: October 31-November 6, 2016

November 7, 2016 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

Last week at Experiments in Manga the winner of the Sweetness & Lightning manga giveaway was announced. The post also includes a list of some of the manga available in English that feature notable fathers or father figures. As for more in-depth features, I’m (still) currently working on some random, but rather personal, musings about Ichigo Takano’s manga series Orange. Progress on that post is a little slower than I would like it to be, but hopefully I’ll have something to share in the relatively near future.

As for interesting things that I’ve recently found online: The Honolulu Museum of Art recently hosted a series of lectures and discussions called Manga in Japan, Hawai‘i, and Throughout the World; many of the recordings can now be watched online. The proceedings of the Manga at a Crossroads symposia are available to read or download from The Ohio State University. Anna Madill has also posted the slides from her 2016 Comics Forum keynote address–Genre, genealogy, and gender: Reflecting on Boys’ Love manga–which includes some interesting results from her BL Fandom Survey. And speaking of boys’ love, Digital Manga’s Juné imprint is seeking the print rights for Asumiko Nakamura’s Classmates (Doukyusei).

Quick Takes

Haikyu!!, Volumes 3-5 by Haruichi Furudate. The new Karasuno team has made it through its first game, but the members still have some practicing to do before they can completely shed the nickname of the fallen champions. But considering their tremendous talent and potential, that might not take them too long. With these volumes, a few more Karasuno veterans are introduced, as are their rivals, before the series quickly moves from training to tournaments. Although there are some very exciting moments, I actually find the games to be the least interesting part of Haikyu!!, which may (but not necessarily) present a problem in the long run for what is primarily a sports manga. Some of the action was a little difficult for me to follow until I got used to Furudate’s visual language, probably because I’m not actually all that familiar with volleyball gameplay. Growing up, my family’s anything-goes backyard games followed vastly different rules; Haikyu!! is actually teaching me how volleyball as a sport is really played. However, I am still enjoying Haikyu!! immensely. I particularly love the series’ focus on teamwork and even more so its unflagging positivity. Haikyu!! manages to be competitive without being mean. I also really like the distinctive personalities of the characters, and Furudate’s sense of humor and comedic timing is great. The manga continues to be great fun.

Neo-Parasyte F by Various. Hitoshi Iwaaki’s series Parasyte happens to be not only one of my favorite horror manga, but one of my favorite manga in general. That’s probably the main reason I was so excited that the Parasyte shoujo tribute anthology Neo-Parasyte F was licensed, but the list of contributors is exciting in and of itself, too. I was especially happy to have the chance to read more of Asumiko Nakamura’s work, but there are other creators that English-reading fans will likely recognize as well, such as Ema Toyama, Kaori Yuki, and Yuri Narushima among others. Neo-Parasyte F collects fifteen short manga that in one way or another pay tribute to Parasyte. Some of the stories take place within the same world as Parasyte–Shinichi and Migi, the main characters of the original series, even make a few appearances–while others are set completely apart. Many of the manga are still horror-themed, but there are a surprising number that actually take a more humorous approach. Ever wonder what Parasyte would be like as an otome game? Neo-Parasyte F presents one possible interpretation of just that. Overall, the volume is a great anthology containing an excellent variety of genres and styles. Neo-Parasyte F will likely appeal most to readers who are fans of or at least familiar with Parasyte, although a few of the contributions can stand completely on their own.

The Prince in His Dark Days, Volume 1 by Hico Yamanaka. In Japan, Yamanaka is probably better known for her boys’ love manga, but that’s not all that she’s done. For example, The Prince in His Dark Days, Yamanaka’s English-language debut, does not fall into that particular genre. However, it is poised to explore gender and sexuality in interesting ways, which is what first brought the series to my attention. The story follows Atsuko, a high school student from a broken and abusive family who is struggling to make ends meet. She is more or less coerced into becoming the stand-in for Itaru, the wealthy heir to a major corporation who has gone missing. Very possibly he ran away due to some of his own unfortunate circumstances. Until Itaru is found, Atsuko will be taking them on in his place. Although she’s not exactly leading a life of luxury–parts of Itaru’s own life are less than ideal–at least she’s no longer quite as miserable as she once was. The initial setup of The Prince in His Dark Days is a little rough and feels a somewhat forced, but it does establish understandable reasons for everything that follows. Admittedly, the whole situation is rather strange, but once Atsuko has adopted her new role she devotes herself completely to it. In the process, she begins to create meaningful if somewhat peculiar relationships with the people around her. I’m not entirely sure where The Prince in His Dark Days is heading, but I do know that I want to find out.

Princess Jellyfish, Omnibus 3 (equivalent to Volumes 5-6) by Akiko Higashimura. I am still incredibly pleased that Princess Jellyfish manga series is being released in print. I thoroughly enjoyed the anime adaptation and was left wanting more after it ended, so I’m thrilled to finally have the chance to read the original manga. The anime began around the same time that the sixth volume was originally being released in Japan, so from this point on more and more of what is seen in the manga will either be new or significantly different. It has been a while since I’ve watched the anime so I may be misremembering parts of it, but already I can identify where notably different choices were made as to plot and characters. However, the heart of both the manga and the anime are definitely the same. Despite the various romantic and relationship dramas, Princess Jellyfish is largely a comedy. Serious matters like familial and social expectations are addressed and explored in the series, but Higashimura primarily does so through humor, sometimes more successfully and sometimes less so. Princess Jellyfish is an energetic manga that can be over-the-top and ridiculous, but it can also be very touching. As the women of Amamizukan search for a way to save their beloved home they are finding new ways to express themselves through skills and talents that they never realized they had, slowly coming out of their shells in ways they never expected.

Manga Giveaway: Sweetness & Lightning Giveaway Winner

November 2, 2016 by Ash Brown

And the winner of the Sweetness & Lightning manga giveaway is… Joseph Miller!

As the winner, Joseph will be receiving a copy of the first two volumes of Gido Amagakure’s manga series Sweetness & Lightning as published in English by Kodansha Comics. In addition to being a food manga, which I generally enjoy, Sweetness & Lightning is also a series about family. In particular, the father-daughter relationship between Kōhei and Tsumugi is a major part of the story. Kōhei is a great dad, so for this giveaway I asked that participants tell me a little about their favorite fathers and father figures from manga. Be sure to check out the giveaway comments for all of the detailed responses!

Some of the manga available in English with notable dads and father figures:
Baby & Me by Marimo Ragawa
Barakamon by Satsuki Yoshino
Bokurano: Ours by Mohiro Kito
Bunny Drop by Yumi Unita
Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama
Fairy Tail by Hiro Mashima
Fake by Sanami Matoh
Fate/Zero written by Gen Urobuchi, illustrated by Shinjiro
Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa
Gugure! Kokkuri-san by Midori Endou
Hide & Seek by Yaya Sakuragi
Lone Wolf & Cub written by Kazuo Koike, illustrated by Goseki Kojima
Master Keaton written by Hokusei Katsushika, Takashi Nagasaki, Naoki Urasawa
My Brother’s Husband by Gengoroh Tagame
My Neighbor Totoro by Hayao Miyazaki
Neon Genesis Evangelion by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
One-Punch Man written by One, illustrated by Yusuke Murata
Only Serious About You by Kai Asou
Otomen by Aya Kanno
Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori
Persona 4 by Shuji Sogabe
Real by Takehiko Inoue
Sweetness & Lightning by Gido Amagakure
Tiger & Bunny by Mizuki Sakakibara
Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida
Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura
Wandering Son by Takako Shimura
Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma

As usual the above list certainly isn’t comprehensive but it does provide a variety of manga to explore. Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway and shared some of your favorite manga dads with me! I hope you see you all again for the next giveaway.

Pick of the Week: The Soft Cell

November 1, 2016 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown and Anna N Leave a Comment

SEAN: Any week with Oresama Teacher in it is going to be an Oresama Teacher pick of the week. Even as it’s gotten more serious, each volume still guarantees big laughs from me. That’s really something after 21 volumes.

MICHELLE: I’m definitely looking forward to the latest Oresama Teacher, but am most eager to check out the debut of Cells at Work! Quirky premise for the win!

ASH: Hmmm… there’s all sorts of interesting things being released this week, both old and new. I think I’m with Michelle this week, though. While I plan on reading a fair number of recent releases, it’s the debut of Cells at Work has me the most curious! (Perhaps it will even manage to scratch the Moyasimon itch.)

ANNA: I have to say I’m also interested in Cells at Work, it sounds like a very promising debut.

My Week in Manga: October 24-October 30, 2016

October 31, 2016 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

Although I was finally around for most of last week (as opposed to traveling and being busy with family stuff and such like I was for previous two weeks), all that was posted in addition to the usual My Week in Manga feature was the monthly manga giveaway for October. Experiments in Manga is currently following a more relaxed posting schedule which, while it does still frustrate me that I’m not currently able to post more, is better than not posting anything at all. Anyway! There’s still time to enter for a chance to win the first two volumes of Gido Amagakure’s Sweetness & Lightning. All you have to do is tell me a little about your favorite dad or father figure from manga.

Seven Seas was celebrating its twelfth anniversary last week and announced a slew of new licenses including Yurino Tsukigase’s Otome Mania!!, Aikawa Shou’s Concrete Revolutio, Isaki Uta’s Generation Witch, Aoki Spica’s Beasts of Abigaile!, Nozomu Tamaki’s Don’t Meddle With My Daughter, Hachijou Shin’s Red Riding Hood and the Big Sad Wolf, Aosa Tsunemi’s Akashic Records of the Bastard Magical Instructor, Shiramine’s Tales of Zestiria, and Kabi Nagata’s My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness (which is probably the manga that I’m most curious about). Also of note, it looks as though Seven Seas might be getting back into the light novel game and the first print run of Kore Yamazaki’s The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Volume 6 will be accompanied by a booklet with a bonus chapter.

Not to be outdone, Yen Press announced three new acquisitions: Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui, the original novel, manga adaptations, and spinoff novel of Makoto Shinkai’s Your Name, and No Game No Life, Desu! by Yuu Kamiya and Kazuya Yuizaki. Also, Bento Books is preparing to release some more manga, including second volume of the Math Girls adaptation and the first two volumes of Female Math Major. After a bit of a mishap the first time around, the relaunch of Digital Manga’s most recent Kickstarter is well on its way to raise funds to release several of Osamu Tezuka’s short manga collections: Under the Air, Melody of Iron, and The Crater (which has its own history of mishaps separate from Digital Manga’s). Other Kickstarters that have recently caught my eye include the queer, supernatural, erotic comic Letters for Lucardo and the supernatural horror-comedy comic Not Drunk Enough.

Quick Takes

Fairy Tail: Blue Mistral, Volume 3 by Rui Watanabe. Out of all of the various Fairy Tail spinoffs (and to some extent even Fairy Tail itself), Blue Mistral is the manga that I’m most enjoying so far. I find this particularly interesting because out of all the series, Blue Mistral is the one aimed at a demographic farthest from the one that technically I belong to. I believe Blue Mistral is currently the only shoujo version of Fairy Tail (or at least is the only one to have been published in English at this point) and the magazine in which it was originally released is generally geared toward middle school girls. However, this audience is fitting for a series which follows Wendy Marvell, Fairy Tail’s twelve-year-old dragon slayer magic user. Although other characters from Fairy Tail do make appearances in the series, Blue Mistral is absolutely about Wendy and her adventures apart from the rest of the guild. In this particular volume, she spends much of her time posing as a boy for her own safety as she investigates the disappearances of a group of young women in the town of Aiya. After joining the town guard, she comes to discover that the circumstances are much more complicated than they first appeared. Romantic feelings play an important role in the story, but generally the romance occurs between characters who are not Wendy. Her heart does beat a little faster from time to time, though. Blue Mistral, even with all of the danger that Wendy must face, continues to be a generally upbeat, fun, and charming series.

Forget Me Not, Volume 4 written by Mag Hsu and illustrated by Nao Emoto. Although by and large I have been enjoying Forget Me Not, the third volume managed to frustrate me immensely. However, the fourth volume worked much better for me. Serizawa’s romantic relationships and attempts at romantic relationships continue to be utter utter wrecks (which considering the premise of the series is entirely expected), but at least he’s finally gained some more maturity and is able to begin to understand his own feelings. The fourth volume also delves into Serizawa’s family history which reveals some of the likely reasons that he has so much trouble forming relationships to begin with–raised by his mother after his father abandons them for another woman, he hasn’t really had a good model to follow. That’s actually something that I really appreciate about Forget Me Not. Many series which focus on romance and love tend to idealize them when in fact relationships of any sort take a tremendous amount of work. Serizawa is in the process of learning this, and it can be painful to watch as he not always successfully navigates his romances, but he is making some progress, slowly recognizing what he needs is not necessarily what the other person needs. What is missing from the fourth volume of Forget Me Not is its connection to the series’ hook, the reason why Serizawa is currently looking back on his disappointing love life; I’m hoping that the series will explore this again soon.

The Gods Lie by Kaori Ozaki. Even though it was never fully released in English, I loved Ozaki’s Immortal Rain (or Meteor Methuselah as it was originally titled). And so when The Gods Lie was licensed, I was understandably thrilled that I would have the opportunity to read more of Ozaki’s work. Other than the fact that I recognized the creator, I didn’t actually know anything about The Gods Lie. However, I was very happy to discover that it was just as beautifully drawn and emotionally resonant as Immortal Rain. Ozaki’s storytelling in The Gods Lie is just as strong if not stronger, too. It’s also a more mature work aimed at a more mature audience, seinen rather than shoujo. The Gods Lie is a heartwrenching and devastating manga. The themes that Ozaki explores with the work are pretty heavy and hard-hitting–death, abandonment, and desperation being some of the most prominent. But there’s also love and righteousness to be found. Interpersonal relationships and families, both good and bad, provide the manga’s center. The story takes place during a very limited span of time, primarily over the course of Natsuru Nanao’s sixth-grade summer vacation, but the events that occur will have a tremendous impact on the young man. Natsuru’s characterization is incredibly well done. In part The Gods Lie is a cutting coming-of-age story. Natsuru changes and matures in very believable ways, losing some of his innocence while gaining a better understanding of and dealing with some of the world’s more unfortunate realities.

Otherworld Barbara, Omnibus 1 (equivalent to Volumes 1-2) by Moto Hagio. Fantagraphics doesn’t currently have a huge line of manga (and sadly we may never see the rest of Takako Shimura’s Wandering Son translated), but the works it does publish are quality ones. I was very excited for the release of the first half of Otherworld Barbara; the manga was one of my most-anticipated titles for 2016. Although Hagio is a very influential creator in Japan, not much of her work has been published in English. I’ve loved everything that has been translated but have a particular fondness for Hagio’s science fiction. Otherworld Barbara is very much a part of that genre–it’s even one of the few manga to have won the Nihon SF Taisho Award–but it also includes strong elements of fantasy and the supernatural in addition to some significant family drama. Dreams, reality, past, present, and future all overlap with one another in Otherworld Barbara. Tokio is a dream pilot with the ability to enter other people’s dreams, gaining insight into their psyches in the process. Often he’s called upon to use his ability to help with criminal investigations, but more recently a group of researchers has asked him explore the dreams of a young woman who has been asleep for seven years. Surprisingly, his estranged son seems to somehow be tied to her case. The deeper Tokio probes, the more strange coincidences he uncovers, and the more dangerous the situation becomes for him and everyone else involved. I’m immensely curious to see how the story plays out.

Manga the Week of 11/2

October 28, 2016 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, MJ and Anna N Leave a Comment

SEAN: Not only are there no small weeks anymore, there are no medium weeks. Only large weeks forever, with piles and piles of new manga.

MICHELLE: I can’t be sad about this, though I’ll forever mourn the titles that got cancelled when the first bubble burst.

ASH: True, true.

SEAN: We start with something that is not technically manga, but certainly has a manga style and audience. The second omnibus of the Megatokyo webcomic is out, collecting Vol. 4-6 of the Hunter x Hunter of North America. This catches up with the released volumes, I believe.

Kodansha has 6 new titles this week, starting with Cells at Work!, a cute new series which combines educational biology, amusing comedy, and action movie. I already reviewed the first volume, and found it quite enjoyable.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to this one!

ASH: I’m rather curious about it, myself.

MJ: This sounds pretty cool!

ANNA: It does sound intriguing.

SEAN: Devil Survivor comes to an end with its 8th and final volume.

I may be forced to endure far too many Monster Girl series these days, but at least some of them are cute and fluffy rather than softcore porn. Interviews with Monster Girls is one of the former, a sweet series about a teacher taking interest in the “demihumans” in his school.

ASH: It’s interesting to see publishers other than Seven Seas taking on the trend.

SEAN: It has been over 6 months since I last enjoyed the glorious trash that is Missions of Love. Here’s Vol. 13, and it can’t come fast enough. How will everyone be horrible this time?

ASH: I’ll admit, I actually do read and enjoy this series.

And there’s a 2nd volume of That Wolf-Boy Is Mine! (The doggone wolf-boy is mine?)

MICHELLE: I think of that song EVERY SINGLE TIME!

ASH: The first volume, while certainly not breaking any new ground, was still enjoyable. I’m looking forward to reading more.

SEAN: Lastly (for Kodansha), Your Lie in April reaches its 2nd to last volume. Will it all end happily ever after? (Spoiler: no.)

Seven Seas gives us a 3rd volume of the violent and grotesque Hour of the Zombie.

And just when you thought monster girl manga could not get sillier, there’s My Girlfriend is a T-Rex. No, really. It runs in Media Factory’s Gene Pixiv, which I guess cultivates artists from the popular Japanese art platform.

Vertical gives us a 5th Nichijou, which had better have more Mai this time around.

And the rest is mostly Viz, but that doesn’t mean we’re near done. Bleach has a 68th volume, and still has a few more to go after that, despite being finished in Japan.

And if you missed Bleach, or just want to relive its glory days, read the 17th omnibus, which shows those days had already passed by that point.

Dragon Ball Full Color Freeza Arc 4! Buy it again! And again! And Again!

And if that wasn’t enough exclamation marks for you, here’s Haikyu!! 5.

MICHELLE: Huzzah!

ASH: Yay!!

ANNA: WOO HOO!

SEAN: Rejoice, for the JoJo’s hardcovers continue! This is Stardust Crusaders, which some may have read when Viz brought it over years ago, but which many may have missed (including me). Now it’s here in hardcover deluxe editions.

ASH: I’m double-dipping on this. The hardcovers are beautiful.

ANNA: I’m behind on my Jojo reading, I’m glad Viz continues to put out these editions.

SEAN: And if you loved The Legend of Zelda manga, Viz is starting to re-release that as well, in a Legendary Edition.

Maid-sama! has a 6th 2-in-1, as it tries to explain Usui’s backstory while still letting him tease Misaki mercilessly, because really we read this for her blushing and yelling, right?

MICHELLE: I do like getting more information about him.

ANNA: The yelling is always a highlight.

SEAN: And My Hero Academia’s 6th volume should be starting up a new arc.

Viz decides to skip the Naruto novel about Hinata’s wedding prep, possibly to pacify fans, and instead will release the first volume of Itachi’s Story.

And Nisekoi gets an 18th volume. Will it start to wrap things up?

One Piece has 80 volumes. Eighty. That’s as many as eight tens. And that’s wonderful.

One-Punch Man’s 9th volume. Less volumes, but lots of punching.

ASH: One-Punch Man is still a lot of fun.

MJ: Always ready for this.

ANNA: I’m behind as always but happy for the punching.

SEAN: A 21st volume of Oresama Teacher means I will definitely have something for my Pick of the Week.

ANNA: This is my regular reminder that I need to catch up on this series.

SEAN: Shuriken and Pleats ends with its 2nd volume, and Hino heads back towards vampires, which are apparently better than ninjas after all.

ANNA: I have an idea. What about VAMPIRE NINJAS?

SEAN: Toriko 36. More eating. More fighting. More weird creatures. More homoerotic subtext that it will never deliver on.

World Trigger has really become popular, and now I wish I had kept up with it. Here’s Vol. 13.

MJ: I wish I had, too! But even more, I wish I’d stuck with Oresama Teacher, since you still love it after all this time.

And Yu-Gi-Oh! has an 8th 3-in-1.

Lastly, Yen On has (deep breath) Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratorio. As you may have guessed, it is a spinoff novel from the main series, dealing with Bell’s crush, Aiz Wallenstein, and the misadventures of her own guild. I hear there are elves!

Have you already burned out your wallet for the year? Or is there more you must buy?

Manga Giveaway: Sweetness & Lightning Giveaway

October 26, 2016 by Ash Brown

It’s the last Wednesday in October, so it’s yet again time for another monthly giveaway at Experiments in Manga! This time you’ll all have the chance to win both the first and second volumes of Gido Amagakure’s food and family manga Sweetness & Lightning as released in English by Kodansha Comics. Why two volumes? Mostly because I feel like it! And also because I ended up with extra copies of both. But I also wanted to share the cuteness and food. Anyway, as always, this month’s giveaway is open worldwide!

It’s not really a secret that I enjoy food manga and will basically give any series a try if food is somehow prominently featured. That’s what initially drew me to Amagakure’s Sweetness & Lightning, but what I find particularly endearing about the series is the loving father-daughter relationship that it portrays. (Kōhei Inuzuka is great, and his daughter is pretty darn adorable.) Maybe it’s because I’ve become a parent relatively recently myself (okay… it’s been two years now), but I find parent-child relationships in manga to be particularly interesting, especially when they are a core element to the story being told. And that’s certainly the case with Sweetness & Lightning. While it’s still early on in the manga’s English-language release, so far I find the mix of food and family in Sweetness & Lightning to be immensely appealing.

So, you may be wondering, how can you win the first two volumes of Sweetness & Lightning?

1) In the comments below, tell me a little about your favorite dad or father figure from manga. (Don’t have a favorite? 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).

Not too difficult, right? Everyone can earn up to two entries each and has one week to submit comments for the giveaway. If the comment form gives you trouble, or if you prefer, responses can also be submitted directly to 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 November 2, 2016. Best of luck to you all!

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: Sweetness & Lightning Giveaway Winner

Pick of the Week: A Lotta Lise

October 24, 2016 by Michelle Smith, Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: Having acknowledged Horimiya last time, I am clear to pick the second volume of Liselotte & Witch’s Forest this week. The first volume was intriguing, even if it went by in a flash, and I look forward to finding out more about what’s going on.

SEAN: So much to choose from, but as I hinted, I am picking the 4th volume of Sword Art Online: Progressive, a reboot of the SAO Aincrad arc that shows off how much Kawahara has grown (and not grown, to be fair) as a writer since 2004. Also, Argo > you.

ASH: I’m definitely looking forward to reading more of Horimiya (I’ve fallen a little behind on the series), but the manga I’m most curious about this week is the debut of The Ghost and the Lady. A story combining supernatural mysteries with Florence Nightingale and packaged in a beautiful hardcover edition? Count me in!

ANNA: There’s not a lot coming out this week that I’m really excited about, but I’m going to pick Liselotte & Witch’s Forest, just because I have a feeling I’d like it once I get around to reading it!

MJ: I’m interested in the SAO novel that Sean is looking forward to, and also The Ghost and the Lady. But like Michelle and Anna, I’ll go with volume two of Liselotte & Witch’s Forest. I, too, haven’t gotten around to reading the first volume, but I feel like saving it for a double read this time was perhaps the right way to go!

My Week in Manga: October 17-October 23, 2016

October 24, 2016 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

Last week was yet another week during which I wasn’t online much, though this time it was because I was on a short family vacation in Ohio to visit my folks. I did however still manage to post my review of the absolutely wonderful children’s book Are You an Echo?: The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko. The book, fully illustrated by Toshikado Hajiri, combines a biographical narrative of Kaneko’s work and life written by David Jacobson along with a selection of Kaneko’s poems presented in both the original Japanese and in English translation. Are You an Echo? is a beautiful book that adults will be able to appreciate, too; I wasn’t previously familiar with Kaneko’s poetry and am incredibly glad to have been introduced to it.

Although I was busy with family last week, a few things did catch my eye online: Vertical’s Fall 2016 manga licensing survey is now live for those interested in suggesting titles that they’d like to see the company publish in English; The Mystery Writers of Japan have released a very useful website in English which includes great information such as an outline of the group’s history and a list of recent English translations of the members’ works; As for cool queer comics Kickstarters, there is a newly launched campaign to collect Tab Kimpton’s delightful Minority Monsters comics in a single volume along with additional bonus content.

Quick Takes

Fairy Tail, Volume 55 by Hiro Mashima. With all of the recent developments in Fairy Tail it seems like the series might in fact be reaching its final story arcs. Granted, Mashima could just as easily stretch things out for quite a bit longer as he has repeatedly done in the past. Often Fairy Tail feels rather directionless to me, as though the creator is making things up as he goes (which he has admitted to) or isn’t sure exactly what he wants to do with the series. That being said, when Mashima actually manages to bring together disparate storylines and plot developments together in a way that makes sense and seems planned from the beginning (even if it actually wasn’t) the results can be thrilling. The fifty-fifth volume of Fairy Tail opens with one of the biggest game-changing reveals in the series as Natsu and Zeref face each other down. It’s a dramatic encounter and works tremendously well. Sadly, the rest of the volume isn’t quite as strong as its opening and many of the other plot twists and backstories feel forced at best. Still, this most recent story arc is probably my favorite out of those that I’ve so far read. (I started reading Fairy Tail part way through, so there are several arcs that I’ve missed.) I especially appreciate how it gives the tournament arc, which grew increasingly tedious, a greater purpose in the series as a whole. The action sequences and battles continue to be an exciting part of the manga as well, and there are plenty of those to be found in this volume.

Intense, Volume 1: Night on the Red Road by Kyungha Yi. I’ve deliberately been keeping a lookout for new print releases from Netcomics, but even if I wasn’t Yi’s Intense would have caught my attention. The series’ cover artwork is stunning and the manhwa’s production values and quality is some of the best that I’ve seen from Netcomics. Intense was originally released in six digital volumes, but the print edition has been collected into four. The interior artwork, though it’s not in color, is just as beautiful, striking, and moody as Yi’s cover illustrations. The story is likewise very moody and at times can be extremely dark and violent. The series follows Jiwoon, an assassin and bodyguard for a crime syndicate who has been temporarily assigned to a red-light district. There he encounters and is drawn to the mysterious Soohan who works there as a sort of handyman. With their melancholic, slightly detached personalities, it seems as though the two young men likely share a fair amount in common, so much so that the tragic backstory revealed in the flashbacks interspersed throughout the first volume could easily belong to either of them. If nothing else, Intense is certainly well named. The manhwa is heavy and intense both emotionally and psychologically, moreso than many other boys’ love stories I’ve read. I definitely plan on reading the rest of the series and I’m very curious to see how the relationship between Jiwoon and Soohan develops.

Paradise Residence, Volume 3 by Kosuke Fujishima. Admittedly, it has been quite some time since I’ve read the first two volumes of Paradise Residence, but I really don’t remember the characters being especially infatuated with motorbikes and motorcycles which is something that is quite prominent in the third and final volume. Maybe I just completely missed it before and that’s why it seemed to suddenly come out of nowhere, but the resulting story is nice. However, it’s another sudden development that becomes the dramatic focus of the rest of the volume–due to some unfortunate circumstances, the dorm is scheduled for demolition rather than renovation and the young women living there must do all that they can to save their beloved home. They come up with a rather creative solution to their problem that, while it strains believability, is impressively audacious and clever. Paradise Residence is a series that I enjoyed much more than I thought or expected I would. It doesn’t really have a lot of substance or depth to it, but it’s a pleasant slice-of-life manga set in an all-girls high school. Though not particularly nuanced, most of the characters are generally likeable. Even with the occasional bit of drama, Paradise Residence tends to be a fairly quiet and low-key series. The artwork is attractive, too, although Fujishima seems fond of drawing characters with one eye closed; I’m not sure if they’re supposed to be winking or what.

Spoof on Titan, Volume 1 by Hounori. In general the manga spinoffs of Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan depend on readers having at least some familiarity with the original series, although to varying degrees. Spoof on Titan perhaps requires a little more than many of the others as the humor relies heavily on knowledge of the characters and their personalities. Unlike Attack on Titan: Junior High, the other Attack on Titan comedy series, Spoof on Titan is firmly set in the world of the original manga. Granted, it’s a much more friendly version of that world–the Titans, though mentioned frequently, barely make an appearance and the death, destruction, and violence has been greatly toned down. The gore and darkness of Attack on Titan aren’t really to be found in Spoof on Titan. Hounori’s illustrations and character redesigns are pretty cute, too. Spoof on Titan is a four-panel comedy manga which is a format that I tend to really like when it’s done well, but the comics in Spoof on Titan tended to be fairly hit-or-miss for me. Some of them legitimately made me laugh while I barely cracked a smile at others. Overall, though, I am largely enjoying the series and find it amusing. I’m not sure that I would necessarily want to binge-read Spoof on Titan, but the series can be fun in small doses. The first volume reads like a collection of comedic Attack on Titan bonus manga, which is essentially what it is even if Isayama himself isn’t directly working on the series.

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Manga the Week of 10/26

October 20, 2016 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown and Anna N 2 Comments

SEAN: End of October. 35 titles. Scary!

MICHELLE: I am having Count Floyd feels.

SEAN: Kodansha brings us the 9th volume of Genshiken 2nd Season, which may have a new cast but has ended up being about Madarame’s love life.

ASH: I’ll admit, I really wasn’t expecting it to basically become a harem manga.

SEAN: Kazuhiro Fujita, best known over here for the unlicensed yet very popular Ushio and Tora, has a new hardcover horror volume out, part of a series subtitled “The Black Museum” that runs in Morning. This one is called The Ghost And The Lady, and features Florence Nightingale. It sounds amazing.

ASH: It looks it, too!

SEAN: Kodansha also has a 7th volume of Kiss Him, Not Me!, which I hope is stocked next to The Ghost and the Lady at all good bookstores, just for the humor value.

Speaking of new works by authors best known for something else, Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai is from the creator of Shaman King, and has… well, cat samurai. Be warned: this is not your Chi sort of cat book – it runs in Shonen Magazine Edge (I assume because the works are edgy).

MICHELLE: Huh.

ANNA: I have a similar reaction as Michelle.

SEAN: And a 17th volume of breakout hit Noragami.

ASH: I’ve come to really enjoy this series.

SEAN: Seven Seas also has a bunch of stuff. The 4th volume of spinoff A Certain Scientific Accelerator continues to be action oriented, much to the annoyance of Last Order.

A new Freezing omnibus, Vols. 11-12, will please anyone who likes breasts.

Speaking of such readers, the big release this week is Monster Girl Encyclopedia, which is apparently a lavishly illustrated guide to various types of monster girls. It’s a hardcover, so they’re really pushing this. I also hear that it’s possibly the most fanservicey title they’ve ever released.

ASH: That’s impressive in and of itself.

SEAN: And another omnibus, with manwha release Witch Hunter getting Vols. 17 and 18.

Vertical has a 2nd volume of Immortal Hounds.

Time for Yen. First of all, we have the digital-only releases: Aoharu x Machinegun 6, Black Detective 6, Saki 6, and Corpse Princess… 7. Sure, ruin my numerology, why don’t you.

ASH: Saki!

SEAN: Light novels. Psycome has a second volume of wacky insane girls in prison antics.

And the fourth volume of Sword Art Online: Progressive has Argo on its cover, which automatically makes it a must-read.

As for Yen’s print manga, we get an eighth Akame Ga KILL!

Did I say Aoharu x Machinegun was digital-only? Never mind. Like Handa-kun, it did well enough to get a print release, with Volume 1 shipping next week.

The Asterisk War has a 2nd manga release. I quite like the book’s cliched but breezy story.

We’ve caught up with Barakamon, so it’s been a while since the last volume. I’ve missed it. Here’s Vol. 12.

MICHELLE: I have every intention of getting caught up on Barakamon. Intentions, but not time, alas.

SEAN: Bloody Cross comes to an end with its 12th and final volume.

A Certain Magical Index has its 7th manga volume, which I think starts to adapt the 6th novel.

And The Devil Is A Part-Timer! has its 7th manga volume, which is still adapting the 3rd novel, because it didn’t skip entire books like Index’s manga did.

And if you like cuter and fluffier, there’s a 5th volume of the High School!! spinoff.

Fruits Basket has a 6th omnibus, as Akito helpfully allows Tohru to gain resolve to stop the curse by being completely terrible.

I’d mentioned Handa-kun before, and we get a 4th print volume here.

Horimiya gives us a 5th volume of adorable high school romance.

MICHELLE: Yay for Furuba and Horimiya!

ASH: Yay, indeed!

SEAN: More manga adaptations of light novels, or in this case adaptations of songs, with the 7th Kagerou Daze.

I was lukewarm to the first Liselotte & Witch’s Forest, but a 2nd volume should help firm up which direction it’s going.

MICHELLE: I found it reasonably intriguing, but definitely the second volume is going to be key. I’m looking forward to it a lot.

ANNA: Surprisingly I haven’t read this yet, but I plan to.

SEAN: And there’s a 4th spinoff volume of Log Horizon’s West Wind Brigade.

MORE manga adaptations of light novels! This time the 2nd Re: Zero manga.

It’s rare we see seinen romance manga in North America, let alone by a female author. But Scum’s Wish is still about tortured high schoolers and hopeless crushes, have no fear. It runs in Big Gangan, and has been on the Crunchyroll app as well.

Taboo Tattoo gets a 4th volume, so it can’t be all THAT taboo.

Another manga gets out of digital only land, as we see the first volume of Today’s Cerberus. This is a Shonen Gangan series, has supernatural elements, and leans very much towards the comedy end of things. Not quite Another Monster Girl Series, but close as dammit.

Just because monster girls are the next big genre doesn’t mean we’re not getting more survival game as well. I know little about Tohyo Game except it runs in Big Gangan, and is an omnibus of the first 2 volumes.

Are you being tricked? Or is all this manga a treat?

Are You an Echo?: The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko

October 20, 2016 by Ash Brown

Author: Misuzu Kaneko, David Jacobson
Illustrator: Toshikado Hajiri
Translator: Sally Ito and Michiko Tsuboi
Publisher: Chin Music Press
ISBN: 9781634059626
Released: September 2016

Misuzu Kaneko, who in the 1920s was a well-known author of poetry for children, almost faded into obscurity after her early death at the age of twenty-six only to have her work rediscovered in 1982. Since then her poetry has been met with great admiration and acclaim. Despite having her work translated into nearly a dozen different languages, Kaneko is relatively unknown in English. Are You an Echo?: The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko, published by Chin Music Press in 2016, is a beautifully illustrated and crafted children’s book created by a multi-national team with members hailing from Japan, the United States, and Canada in an effort to bring Kaneko’s work to a larger audience. Before reading Are You an Echo? I was unaware of both Kaneko and her poetry. After reading the volume I can only hope that more of her work will be translated in the future–the book is a marvelous introduction.

Are You an Echo? consists of two main parts. The first is a biographical narrative written by David Jacobson, a journalist and editorial consultant at Chin Music Press, which outlines both the life of Kaneko and the history of her work and its rediscovery by Setsuo Yazaki, another poet who also provides the foreword to the book. Although Are You an Echo? is meant for a young audience, Jacobson is honest and touches upon some of the sadder aspects of Kaneko’s story such as her unhappy marriage, unfortunate illness, and eventual decision to end her own life. However, the topics are handled with gentleness and sensitivity. Several of Kaneko’s poems are incorporated directly into the narrative while the second part of Are You an Echo? is specifically devoted to a selection of her work. The poems are presented in both their original Japanese and in an English translation jointly composed by Michiko Tsuboi and the poet Sally Ito.

The format is somewhat unusual for a children’s book, but I feel the decision to include a biography along with a selection of Kaneko’s work in a single volume is ultimately a good one. Are You an Echo? not only introduces Kaneko’s poetry, it also places it within a greater context. Jacobson’ s narrative is easily accessible and the story of how Kaneko and her work have come to positively influence the lives of so many people is a wonderful one. Hajiri’s illustrations are likewise captivating. The artwork is colorful without being garish and has a gentle softness to it that complements both Jacobson’s text and Kaneko’s poetry. Hajiri depicts scenes from Kaneko’s life and imagination and provides a lovely visual accompaniment to and interpretation of her work.

Twenty-five of Kaneko’s surviving five-hundred-twelve poems are included in Are You an Echo?. The translators have taken obvious care in rendering Kaneko’s work into English. Kaneko wrote in a feminine form of Japanese which doesn’t have a direct equivalent in English, but Ito and Tsuboi have successfully crafted a translation that reads well and captures the feelings and intentions of the originals. The poems collected in Are You an Echo? are utterly delightful. One of the things that I found most striking about Are You an Echo? is the tremendous empathy that Kaneko exhibits through her work. Though a touch of melancholy can frequently be found, the poems embody the natural curiosity, wonder, and earnestness of the children for whom she was writing. Kaneko’s poetry is immensely charming and deeply compassionate; I am so incredibly glad to have encountered it. While the book may be intended and suited for younger readers, there is still plenty for adults to enjoy and appreciate about it, too. Are You an Echo? is a treasure.

Thank you to Chin Music Press for providing a copy of Are You an Echo? for review.

Pick of the Week: To Titan or Not to Titan

October 17, 2016 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown and Anna N Leave a Comment

SEAN: It’s the Attack on Titan Anthology, full stop. It’s amazing that this project happened at all, and it’s even more amazing that it turned out so excellent, with stories that are gut-wrenching, inspirational, and hilarious.

MICHELLE: Because I’m not really into anything that’s coming out this week, I thought I’d cheat and pick one thing from *next* week’s Yen offerings, thus freeing me up to pick something else then. So, this time I’ll plug Horimiya once again. It’s a very enjoyable, shoujo-esque love story, and I am looking forward to the latest volume.

ASH: I’m with Sean this week. Considering everyone who was involved, I was expecting Attack on Titan Anthology to be good, but I was still pleasantly surprised by just how good it is. Honestly, it’s a fantastic collection with a great variety of stories in a wide range of styles. Anyone with even a passing interest in Attack on Titan should be picking this one up.

ANNA: I’m not seeing much that I’m thrilled with this week. But do you know what I am thrilled with? Kaze Hikaru Vol 24. Sure, it came out in the summer, but I am just reading it now so it is my pick of the week!

My Week in Manga: October 10-October 16, 2016

October 17, 2016 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

I was a little preoccupied last week, dealing with some unexpected developments at work and home, so I wasn’t online much at all. However, I did still manage to post September’s Bookshelf Overload in which I reveal the manga, comics, books, and anime that I picked up last month. Also, a few weeks ago I mentioned the short story “The Mud God” which is tangentially related to a commission that Jenn Grunigen wrote for me. Well, it’s now freely available to read online!

Quick Takes

Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Volumes 2-4 by Izumi Tsubaki. My introduction to Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun was through the anime series which I adored. Because I loved the anime, it only made sense for me to seek out the original manga as well. Unsurprisingly, I enjoyed the first volume immensely. Despite that, it’s actually been quite a while since I’ve read any of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, which just means that I had the chance to fall in love with the series all over again. And I did, wholeheartedly. The series’ comedy is largely based on the characters and their personalities. The characters themselves are all a little odd but they are also incredibly endearing. Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun plays around with expectations, so the personality quirks of the characters intentionally defy stereotypes and are deliberately unexpected. In part, Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun is also a romantic comedy. The cast is fairly large and there could be any number of couples among the members except for the fact that most of the characters are completely oblivious of or misinterpret their own feelings. No one is actually together in the sense that they are dating in Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun (at least not yet), but in many cases they might as well be. The various relationships in Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun are close ones and are yet another major source of the manga’s good-natured humor.

The Prince and the Swan, Volumes 1-2 by April Pierce and Gareth C.J. Wee. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake, itself based on Russian folklore, has been the inspiration and basis for countless other works. One of the more recent retellings that I’m aware of is the webcomic The Prince and the Swan which began in 2013. I discovered the comic while at the 2016 Toronto Comics Arts Festival where the second print volume was making its debut; I couldn’t pass up Swan Lake reimagined as a queer fairytale. Knowledge of the ballet’s story isn’t at all necessary to enjoy The Prince and the Swan although readers who are familiar with it will be in a better position to appreciate the changes made for the comic. The basic premise of the story remains the same, but in the case of The Prince and the Swan Odette is now Odet, a prince who suffers from a curse that transforms him into a swan during the day. The other lead character in the comic is Prince Siegfried who is reluctantly preparing for his coronation and marriage as king. A chance encounter between the two men will change the course of both of their lives. The pacing of The Prince and the Swan seems a little slow at first, but the artwork, characterization, and storytelling quickly improve and gain confidence as the comic progresses. I look forward to seeing how The Prince and the Swan continues to develop.

Say I Love You, Volume 15 by Kanae Hazuki. One would think that after fifteen volumes Say I Love You would no longer surprise me, but I continue to be impressed by its honesty and authenticity. I do wonder if the recently introduced Aoi twins will continue to play a role in the series as most of the main characters are graduating high school in pursuit of their individual futures. While I was initially a little unsure of the addition of prominent new characters so late in the series, I ended up really liking them and their story arcs–I’d now hate to see them discarded so soon. (Granted, Kai still has another year to go before he graduates, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the twins will continue to make appearances.) The fifteenth volume of Say I Love You would have been a natural ending point for the series. As many of the characters are preparing to go their separate ways, either by immediately entering the workforce or by continuing their education, a fair amount of time is devoted to introspection and reflection on the past. Mei in particular has changed significantly since the beginning of the series, but all of the characters have grown and matured as individuals. The characterization in Say I Love You has always been one of the series’ strong points. It will be interesting to see where the manga goes from here as both the story and characters move beyond high school.

Run, Melos! and Other Stories by Osamu Dazai. I forget exactly when it was that I first learned of Dazai’s short story “Run, Melos!” but it’s more or less a staple of the Japanese education system so references to the work are fairly common in Japanese popular culture. I’ve been wanting to read to story for quite some time but was under the mistaken impression that it wasn’t actually available in English. However, I recently discovered that it had indeed been translated as part of the Kodansha English Library series… which was only ever released in Japan. Thanks to the power of inter-library loan, I was finally able to read “Run, Melos!” along with six of Dazai’s other works of short fiction: “A Promise Fulfilled,” “One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji,” “Schoolgirl,””Cherry Leaves and the Whistler,” “Eight Scenes of Tokyo,” and “One Snowy Night.” I had previously read another translation of Schoolgirl but the other stories were all new to me. Normally when I think about Dazai it’s his tragic novel No Longer Human that immediately comes to mind; I had actually forgotten how humorous some of his stories can be. Even though there is still a fair amount of melancholy to be found, this humor is much more apparent in Run, Melos! and Other Stories. Overall, the volumes a charming collection of stories mostly set in early twentieth-century Japan (the exception to that being “Run, Melos!” itself) with surprisingly relatable characters.

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