Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Katherine Dacey

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.

Altair: A Record of Battles, Vol. 1

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Altair: A Record of Battles seems tailor-made for fanfic: it’s got a cast of achingly pretty men, a labyrinthine plot, and an exotic setting that freely mixes elements of Turkish, Austrian, and Bedouin cultures. Like other series that inspire such fan-ish activity — Hetalia: Axis Powers comes to mind — Altair is more interesting to talk about than to read, thanks to an exposition-heavy script and an abundance of second- and third-string characters; you’ll need a flowchart to keep track of who’s who.

The first volume begins promisingly enough. While visiting the Türkiye capitol, a diplomat from the neighboring Balt-Rhein Empire is assassinated in the streets, an arrow lodged in his back. Though the murder weapon suggests that someone in the Balt-Rhein military engineered the hit, Emperor Goldbalt’s mustache-twirling subordinate Louis Virgilio points the finger at Türkiye, insisting they produce the killer or face the ultimate consequence: war. Mahmut, the youngest member of the Türkiye generals’ council, impulsively decides to visit Goldblat’s court in an effort to prevent bloodshed and reveal the true culprit in Minister Franz’s death.

No matter how intensely the characters ball their fists or glower at each other, however, their drawn-out arguments over troop mobilization, international diplomacy, and rules of order are only moderately more entertaining than an afternoon of watching C-SPAN. Author Kotono Kato further burdens the script with text boxes indicating characters’ rank and title, and diagrams showing the distribution of power under the Türkiye “stratocracy,” details that add little to the reader’s understanding of why Balt-Rhein and Türkiye are teetering on the brink of war. Only a nighttime ambush stands out for its dynamic execution; it’s one of the few scenes in which Kato allows the pictures to speak for themselves, effectively conveying the ruthlessness of Mahmut’s enemies without the intrusion of voice-overs or pointed dialogue.

The characters are just as flat as the storytelling. Kato’s flair for costume design is symptomatic of this problem: she’s confused surface detail — sumptuous fabrics, towering hats, sparkling jewels — with character development. With the exception of Mahmut, whose passionate intensity and youthful arrogance are evident from the very first scene, the other characters are walking, talking plot devices whose personalities can be summed up in a word or two: “brash,” “devious,” “enthusiastic,” “mean.” (Also “hot” and “well dressed,” for anyone who’s keeping score.) The shallowness of the characterizations robs the Türkiye/Balt-Rhein conflict of urgency, a problem compounded by Kato’s tendency to wrap things up with epilogues that are as baldly worded as a textbook study guide. At least you’ll be prepared for the quiz.

The bottom line: History buffs will enjoy drawing parallels between the Türkiye and Balt-Rhein Empires and their real-life inspirations, but most readers will find Altair too labored to be compelling — unless, of course, they’re looking for fresh opportunities to ‘ship some handsome characters.

ALTAIR: A RECORD OF BATTLES, VOL. 1 • BY KOTONO KATO • KODANSHA COMICS • RATED T, FOR TEENS • DIGITAL ONLY

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.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Vol. 1

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Since its 1999 debut, Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto has sold more than 220 million volumes in 35 countries and spawned a cottage industry of anime adaptations, costumes, trading cards, video games, figurines, and stage plays. VIZ published the final English-language volume in 2015, but the series’ popularity endures; walk through any American comic-con, and you’ll find small gangs of Narutos and Sasukes roaming the floor alongside Superman, Batman, and Sailor Moon.

In the post-Naruto era, VIZ has supplied hardcore fans with a steady stream of spin-off products, from light novels to coffee-table books. The company’s latest offering is Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, a manga written and illustrated by Ukyo Kodachi and Mikio Ikemoto under Kishimoto’s supervision. The story focuses on three new characters: Boruto (Naruto and Hinata’s son), Sarada (Sasuke and Sakura’s daughter), and Mitsuki (a young ninja of uncertain origins), all of whom enter the Chunin Exam, a tournament for aspiring ninjas. Running in tandem with the trio’s quest for victory are two subplots, the first centering on the return of the Otsutsuki clan and the second on a cloning scheme orchestrated by one of Naruto’s old nemeses.

While it’s obvious that Next Generations is aimed at ride-or-die fans, Kodachi deserves a medal for his efforts to make the story accessible to the uninitiated as well. Some of these expository passages are a little clumsy, but the pacing is brisk enough to smooth over the less graceful exchanges. The artwork, too, is competently executed; Ikemoto’s character designs create a strong visual continuity with the original series, making it easier for readers to grasp who’s related to whom.

On the minus side, Next Generations straddles the fence between remake and sequel, never fully settling on one approach. In an effort to show us that Boruto is just like his dad, for example, Kodachi portrays Boruto as impatient, brash, and… well, that’s about it. Reduced to a third-generation photocopy of his father, Boruto lacks a real identity or purpose of his own, despite Kodachi’s efforts to manufacture father-son drama. The decision to enter Boruto in the Chunin Exam is further evidence of the creators’ unwillingness to take risks. Boruto’s experiences may be a little different than his dad’s, but the tasks and outcomes tack so closely to the original that they, too, register as bad facsimiles, rather than an organic continuation of the Uzumakis’ saga.

The other problem with Next Generations is that the bad guys are cooler than the good guys. To be sure, this is a frequent issue in shonen manga; villains often get the snappiest lines and deadliest weapons while heroes are reduced to blustering about courage, teamwork, and loyalty. This problem nearly sinks the first volume of Next Generations, however, as Orochimaru — one of the most memorable villains in the original series — oozes sinister purpose in his cameo appearance, making a more immediate impression than any of Konoha’s do-gooder teens; he’s compulsively “watchable,” whether he’s browbeating one of his minions or playing at fatherhood.

Whether Orochimaru will be Next Generations’ principal baddie is unclear, as volume one introduces yet another flamboyant villain: Kawaki. If I had to hazard a guess about who Kawaki is, I’d say he was a refugee from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, as his two-tone hairdo and dramatic tattoos are just a little too fabulous for the Naruto universe. I’m not sure if he’s a portent of what’s to come in volume two or a hint of what Kodachi and Ikemoto might have created if they’d been given more latitude by Kishimoto; either way, finding out who Kawaki is the only reason I’d continue reading Next Generations.

The bottom line: If you’re a self-professed Naruto fan, Next Generations will offer just enough fresh material to affirm your love of all things Kishimoto; if not, you may find Next Generations a tedious slog.

Review copy provided by VIZ Media.

BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS, VOL. 1 • CREATED BY MASASHI KISHIMOTO, ILLUSTRATED BY MIKIO IKEMOTO, AND WRITTEN BY UKYO KODACHI • VIZ MEDIA • RATED T (FOR TEENS)

Pick of the Week: Sweet Witches

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MICHELLE: No matter which way I go this week, my pick will be from Kodansha. Ultimately, while I really look forward to more Cells at Work! and House of the Sun, it’s Sweetness & Lightning that beckons most strongly.

SEAN: The most tempting thing for me this week is Flying Witch Vertical’s new series about a witch adjusting to life in a rural town. It’s been called a Japanese Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

KATE: I second Michelle’s recommendation for the fifth volume of Sweetness & Lightning. I just binged on the first four volumes this weekend, and was genuinely impressed by the storytelling: it’s sweet and funny and sometimes very sad, but I never felt manipulated into sniffling or laughing. I also agree with Michelle’s observation that Sweetness & Lightning is one of the few food manga that focuses on stuff that an ordinary reader could make — another plus!

ASH: I’ll definitely be reading the next volume of Sweetness & Lightning, but since this is the only time I’ll be able to pick the Otomo tribute artbook, that’s the release I’m going to go with this week. Based on a volume that was presented when Otomo won the Grand Prize at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2015, and presented in a full-color hardcover, I expect it to be great.

ANNA: I’m not seeing a ton that is inspiring me this week, although it sounds like I should give Sweetness & Lightning a try for sure. I’m going to join in with Sean in picking Flying Witch, because often one can’t go wrong with new Vertical releases.

MJ: Count me in with the Flying Witch crowd! A cat on the cover will get me every time.

Ne Ne Ne, Chapters 1-4

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Ne Ne Ne sounds like E.L. James fanfic: the lead character is a virginal lass who’s forced into an arranged marriage with a sexy, mask-wearing man twenty years her senior. The actual story, however, is much less kinky than my capsule summary would suggest. Like millions of other nineteenth-century couples, sixteen-year-old Koyuki and thirty-seven-year-old Shin begin their married life as strangers, their union one of familial expediency rather than romance. Each entertains different ideas about what constitutes a proper marriage: for Koyuki, being married means homemaking and child-rearing, while for Shin, being married means mindful companionship. Most of their conflict stems from Koyuki’s immaturity, as she bursts into tears every time she burns a meal, tumbles off a ladder, or ruins one of Shin’s yukatas.

Though Koyuki’s bungled chores and teary monologues scream “moe,” Ne Ne Ne retains a core of emotional honesty that’s missing from other rom-coms about clumsy young girls and their older male admirers. The secret lies with the manga’s nuanced portrayal of Koyuki and Shin. Artist Daisuke Hagiwara does a fine job of showing us the degree to which the characters’ ages influence their expectations about married life, using small gestures — a shrug of the shoulder, a chaste kiss, a longing glance — to reveal how carefully the two are approaching their new roles. Author Shizuno Totono also raises the question of sex, hinting at the characters’ mutual attraction while acknowledging the moral and ethical dilemmas posed by Shin and Koyuki’s age gap.

Ne Ne Ne isn’t all angst and meaningful glances; Totono and Daisuke dish out plenty of jokes and sight gags, too, going to great lengths to demonstrate that Shin never takes his mask off. (Not even when he’s doing the laundry! Or snoring on a futon!) Shin’s mask serves a legitimate purpose beyond generating jokes and occasional moments of erotic tension, however: it’s a symbol of his profession — priest — and his connection to the supernatural world. In one of the story’s loveliest scenes, Shin gives Koyuki an impromptu lesson on how to spot yokai. Koyuki’s face conveys her profound sense of wonder at seeing her first dragon, and her delight at forging a small but meaningful connection with Shin — something she’s struggled to do in their more routine interactions as husband and wife.

Totono and Daisuke are less successful at wringing humor out of the couple’s interactions with supporting players. These characters are two-dimensional at best, defined by a single trait or habit that determines how they react to Koyuki and Shin’s marriage. Their brash neighbor Shouta, for example, cracks wise about the age gap between Shin and Koyuki — at one point, he implores Koyuki to marry him “when that old guy dies” — but his comments are anachronistic; it’s hard to imagine a young man in Meiji-era Japan finding an arranged marriage unusual, or speaking to his elders with such blatant disregard for etiquette. Koyuki’s father is similarly two-dimensional, a walk-on role whose main function is to defend his daughter’s chastity with comic fury. (He forbids Shin to consummate the marriage until Koyuki turns 20.) As with Shouta, these scenes don’t contribute much to our understanding of the period setting or the family dynamics that brought Shin and Koyuki together; they do, however, remind us that Shin is waaaaaaaay older than Koyuki.

If Totono and Hagiwara sometimes seem too intent on proving to the reader that Ne Ne Ne is more than just a pervy tale about an old guy in a mask and his child bride, the manga nevertheless manages to be funny, sweet, and honest about the challenges of marital life — something I didn’t expect from a story with such a ludicrous premise. Recommended.

Yen Press is simultaneously publishing the English-language edition of Ne Ne Ne as it’s released in Japan. As of March 20, 2017, four chapters are available. They can be purchased individually or as a package through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Walker, ComiXology, Google Play, iBooks and Kobo.

NE NE NE, CHAPTERS 1-4 • STORY BY SHIZUKO TOTONO, ART BY DAISUKE HAGIWARA • YEN PRESS • NO RATING (APPROPRIATE FOR TEENS 13+)

Pick of the Week: Delectable Digital

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SEAN: As I noted i n Manga the Week of, I think this week breaks the record for most volumes in one week, helped along by Kodansha’s burgeoning digital lineup, which I’m sure the rest of the team will be talking about below. My pick of this week is Barakamon, though, which is seemingly a slow-moving, relaxed series but in reality has moved from strength to strength, and the development of its characters in this volume in particular is amazing. It’s become one of my favorite manga series.

MICHELLE: There are several debuts this week that I’m really looking forward to, but the single volume I most want to read is the fourth and final That Wolf-boy Is Mine! The series surprised me with how good it was, and I wouldn’t miss the conclusion for anything.

KATE: I’m most excited about Kodansha’s latest digital offerings. The swoon-worthy covers for Altair: A Record of Battle and Hozuki’s Coolheadness are calling out to me.

ASH: Agh! I’m so conflicted! Once again, I’m probably most interested in Kodansha’s digital releases this week, but I don’t generally read manga digitally. I really hope to see some of these like Altair: A Record of Battle and Hozuki’s Coolheadness eventually make their way into print. In the meantime, my official pick for this week goes to Goodnight Punpun which continues to be an incredibly surreal and uncomfortable but powerful and resonate work.

ANNA: I have to say, I’m finding Kodansha’s digital releases very compelling, although so much is coming out, I can see myself losing track of titles I want to read fairly easily. That being said, Altair: A Record of Battle is what looks most interesting to me, so that’s my pick.

MJ: Like Kate and Ash, I’m pretty interested in Altair: A Record of Battle, but I think I’ll put my vote in for Hozuki’s Coolheadness, which seems likely to ping a lot of my personal preferences all at once. And if I only wish these were being made available in print, I guess we take what we can get.

Bookshelf Briefs 3/20/17

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Barakamon, Vol. 13 | By Satsuki Yoshino | Yen Press – For a relaxed slice-of-life series set on an out-in-the-boonies Japanese island, Barakamon has had a surprising amount of character development, mostly coming from its lead, Seishuu Handa. He and Naru go to Tokyo as promised in the last volume, and he meets his supposed arranged marriage fiancée, who turns out to have lost about 150 pounds since she had the photo taken that he saw. They get on very well, but, as is noted in the text, it’s bizarre to see two people with so little sexual tension. (I assume Barakamon‘s BL fandom in Japan is as large as it is here, which might explain why.) Meanwhile, his decision to become a calligraphy teacher is pitch-perfect and flows well with what he’s been doing. A fantastic volume. – Sean Gaffney

Everyone’s Getting Married, Vol. 4 | By Izumi Miyazono | Viz Media – This series continues to tie all of its various plots together with ease, ranging from serious events like Kamiya’s aggressive courting of Asuka and the fact that Ryu is a celebrity and being seen with him would have a backlash on both their careers to lighter fare such as Asuka being upset that Ryu paying too much attention to her belly during sex reminds her she’s gained weight. Speaking of sex, we get the dreaded “here’s a story from earlier in the author’s career to pad out the volume” extra. Fortunately, it’s good. Moreover, it’s HOT—possibly the most erotic thing Viz has published in some time, with a frankness that blows away both the reader and the heroine. An excellent adult romance series. – Sean Gaffney

Happiness, Vol. 3 | By Shuzo Oshimi | Kodansha Volume three of Happiness offers further proof that Shuzo Oshimi’s teen vampire drama may be the best manga you’re not reading. Though Oshimi has a knack for introducing surprising plot twists, he never takes short cuts to get there; as volume three demonstrates, Oshimi makes these narrative twists and turns effective through meticulous character development and world-building. By the end of the volume, we have a clearer sense of what might happen to Makoto’s family and friends if he continues to live among them as a normal teenager. Expressive, trippy artwork adds special urgency to Makoto’s story, giving us a better sense of how hard it is to be a hormonal fourteen-year-old vampire with a conscience. Edvard Munch would approve, I think. – Katherine Dacey

Haikyu!!, Vol. 9 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – The tournament is over, and our heroes lost—not uncommon in long-running sports series. So it’s back to aggressive training—provided, of course, our two young phenoms can pass their midterms, as they won’t be allowed to go to Tokyo to practice otherwise. Fortunately, the team has a new team manager who’s learning the ropes from the old one, and gives us—horrors!—a second female regular in the series. Yachi is cute and somewhat introverted, and reels a bit from dealing with overtly in your face people like Shoyo. She’s also smart, though, and has an eye for design. I like her. Meanwhile, there’s a new rival on Nekoma’s team, a Russian kid who’s just as phenom as our heroes. What will we learn in the next volume? – Sean Gaffney

Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 20 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – We’re beginning to wrap up Nisekoi, and much as the fandom may have wanted it to end with an actual harem, that ain’t happening. The first to fall is the last one in, which is to say Yui, Raku’s older sister figure and teacher. She’s required to either marry Raku in a week or return to China for an arranged marriage, which is annoying as she’d just given Chitoge the “I want my beloved to be happy” speech. The best moment in the volume belongs to Marika, who heard said speech and finds it infuriating that Yui would simply leave her feelings unexpressed and not try her hardest to win Raku. And, of course, Raku is still clueless about the fact that Chitoge is now Best Girl, though the narrative will spin that out a bit longer. Very well-written if frustrating. – Sean Gaffney

Sword Art Online: Progressive, Vol. 5 | By Kiseki Himura and Reki Kawahara | Yen Press – Last time I noted that the manga changed a few things from the end of the first novel. This new volume, adapting the second novel, goes even further, adding a whole raft of new scenes that give more added depth to the Dark Elves—particularly Kizmel’s doomed sister and her fiancé. This allows us to have more extended fight scenes, and also gives the whole thing a feeling of growing tragedy, but it also helps emphasize one of the big plot points of book two—are the NPCs really sentient? Kirito says no, and points out that Tilnel, Kizme’s late sister, may have even been ‘modeled’ on Asuna after they encountered each other. Asuna, who is far more of a dreamer than Kirito, thinks differently. This has become essential. – Sean Gaffney

Welcome to the Ballroom, Vol. 3 | By Tomo Takeuchi | Kodansha Comics – After a couple of volumes that seemed to try to balance out possible romance with dancing, this third one tilts firmly towards the ‘dancing’ side of the equation, and it’s all the better for it. Tatara is a faster learner than anyone had really given him credit for, though he needs to build up his stamina, a fact that I suspect will come back to bite him in the next book. He also learns that as the male partner in a ballroom dancing team, his job is to better bring forth the beauty of his female partner. And then there is the art, which is the series’ main strength and reason to buy. It’s brilliant, making the reader feel as if they’re right there in the room. This series has gotten very good very fast. – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Picks, Picks, Picks

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MICHELLE: I suppose Ace of the Diamond technically came out last week, but it didn’t feature in our week-of discussion ’til this week, so… I am totally picking the first volume. Shounen sports manga that’s already complete in Japan? Yes, please! (Also, because I am greedy, can we get Big Windup next?)

SEAN: “Complete” being an iffy term – remember Ace of the Diamond Act II is currently running in Japan. In any case, my pick of the week has to be the final omnibus re-release of Ranma 1/2. Re-reading the entire series has reminded me why I was so obsessed with it twenty years ago, as well as making me feel I had good reason to move on. I’ll still miss it. Also, Ryouga x Akari 5-evah.

MICHELLE: Oh, jeez. I was totally unaware.

KATE: I’ve been impressed with Kodansha’s digital manga initiative, so I’m planning to check out both volumes of House of the Sun this week. Like most of the MB gang, I’m also intrigued by Kodansha’s latest sports acquisitions, though a small and solipsistic part of me wishes these manga focused on the exciting worlds of (a) running (b) rowing or (c) golf. Now that would get me off the couch!

MICHELLE: I would definitely like to see those sports, too. And I hold out hope for Mitsuru Adachi’s Rough, too.

ASH: I’m not much of a digital reader, but I must admit Kodansha Comics’ recent offerings may very well end up changing that. I enjoyed the anime adaptation of Giant Killing immensely and I never expected All-Rounder Meguru licensed, so those two series have definitely caught my eye as picks (even if technically they were released last week). And since we’re talking about sports series we’d like to see, someone give me a competitive marching band manga!

ANNA: Complex Age 4 is the most interesting thing to me coming out this week, although I also happily celebrate greater sports manga availability.

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 1

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Anonymous Noise is to manga what “Talk Dirty to Me” is to contemporary hit radio: both have a killer hook — that plot! that sax! — and inane lyrics.

The story begins with a vorspiel of sorts. Nino, a tot with a golden voice, bonds with her next-door neighbor Momo, who shares her enthusiasm for singing, if not her sense of pitch. The two are inseparable until Momo’s family abruptly moves away. While pining for her lost friend, Nino crosses paths with Yuzu, a short, feisty songwriter whose tunes help Nino discover her true potential as a vocalist. He, too, unexpectedly skips town, leaving Nino despondent once again — so despondent, in fact, that she begins wearing a surgical mask to prevent herself from screaming. (No, I’m not making that up.)

Flash forward to the present: Nino is now in middle school, roaming the halls in a mask and obsessing about Momo. A chance encounter reunites her with Yuzu, who’s penning tunes for the school’s struggling Popular Music Club. What Nino doesn’t realize is that Yuzu’s bandmates are, in fact, members of In No Hurry to Shout, a pop act as famous for their identity-concealing costumes as their chart-topping songs. (Apparently no one else has put two and two together, either, as the snotty school council president regularly threatens the club with termination.) Nino agrees to sit in for the club’s vocalist, unwittingly auditioning for In No Hurry to Shout in the process.

Despite its soap-opera plotting, Anonymous Noise never gels into a compelling story. One contributing factor is the characters, who are barely fleshed out. Nino, for example, is defined almost exclusively by her capacity for self-pity; she mopes incessantly, mooning over Momo as if he’d just moved away. (Six years have elapsed since Momo’s family skipped town.) Her romantic prospects are also one-note characters: Yuzu is a blustery jerk who yells, cajoles, and insults Nino, while Momo is sweetly chivalrous, the perfect boyfriend-in-training.

Another contributing factor is the lackluster artwork. Though other characters gush about Nino’s voice, Ryoko Fukuyama never *shows* us that Nino has the goods. We see close-ups of Nino’s gaping mouth and a smattering of musical notes whenever she warbles a tune, but we could just as easily infer that she was shouting, yodeling, or yawning from the lifeless, unimaginative way in which she’s drawn. A quick glance at Nodame Cantabile, Your Lie in April, Ludwig B., solanin, or Nana, demonstrates that it *is* possible to show how much physical effort it takes to produce a good sound, and what effect that sound is having on the audience. While such gestures don’t replicate the full experience of hearing a great band in person, they suggest what it might be like — something that Anonymous Noise fails to do on any level.

The bottom line: Anonymous Noise is too bland to be memorable, and too earnest to be fun. Not recommended.

ANONYMOUS NOISE, VOL. 1 • BY RYOKO FUKUYAMA • VIZ MEDIA • RATED T, FOR TEEN

Pick of the Week: Shoujo and Nuclear Power

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SEAN: Lately it seems Pick of the Week is overflowing with choices, which is always a good thing. I’ll go with the debut of Anonymous Noise from Shojo Beat. For years I’ve been a fan of Hana to Yume series, and so I have high hopes for this new one. Plus that’s a fantastic cover.

MICHELLE: Oh, man. What a tough choice. I am looking forward to Anonymous Noise, and to another volume of Natsume’s Book of Friends, but I suspect that, when it makes its biannual appearances, it’ll be Skip Beat! that always ends up my official pick of the week.

KATE: I just ordered a copy of Ichi-F: A Worker’s Graphic Memoir of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. If any medium seems well-suited to telling such a harrowing, personal story, it’s manga. I might need to read the first volume of Anonymous Noise as a chaser, though…

ASH: I’m definitely interested in Anonymous Noise, too, but I’m with Kate this week. Ichi-F is a fascinating, important, and personal work that gets my pick.

ANNA: I ordered Ichi F for my library, and I’m excited about Anonymous Noise as well. However, Skip Beat! is such a special series, I can’t imagine not picking it for Pick of the Week.

MJ: There are a number of potentially interesting titles on the list this week, but the one that sticks out for me most is definitely Anonymous Noise. I’ll admit I’m a sucker for music-themed manga, and this is no exception.

Dissolving Classroom

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The title of Junji Ito’s latest work is a nod to one of his seminal influences: Kazuo Umezu, author of such bat-shit classics as Cat-Eyed Boy, Orochi Blood, and, of course, The Drifting Classroom. Using the same techniques as Umezu — shocking imagery, gross-out humor, and far-out plot twists — Ito spins an elaborate yarn about the mysterious Azawa siblings. Yuuma, the handsome older brother, seems like a model teenager: he strenuously avoids conflicts with peers, and is unfailingly polite to his elders. Younger sister Chizumi, by contrast, is a hellion. With her kohl-rimmed eyes and Cheshire-cat sneer, she looks like a junior Harley Quinn as she gleefully stalks classmates, harasses her brother’s girlfriend, and vigorously disputes her brother’s claims of parental neglect.

Each chapter of the Dissolving Classroom hinges on the discovery that Yuuma and Chizumi are not who they seem to be. In “Dissolving Apartment,” for example, the Azawas’ new neighbors are initially impressed by Yuuma’s composure and maturity, and are moved to intervene when they overhear nightly rows at the Azawas’ unit. Though appalled by Chizumi’s crude pranks and bizarre comments, the neighbors see her behavior as evidence that Mr. and Mrs. Azawa are abusing their children, an impression confirmed by the parents’ secretive behavior. Only when the neighbors interrupt one of the family’s heated skirmishes do they realize the true parent-child dynamic in the Azawa home — knowledge that comes too late to save them from a gory fate.

Other stories approach the question of false appearances from a different angle. In “Dissolving Beauty,” for example, Yuuma behaves like a teenage girl’s fantasy of the perfect boyfriend: he’s attentive and reassuring, always ready to declare, “Your beauty is exceptional.” What his girlfriend doesn’t realize is that Yuuma’s flattery is toxic — that in appealing to her vanity and insecurity, Yuuma’s words are warping her into a grotesque caricature of her former self. And when I say grotesque, I mean it; the poor thing resembles Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz, right down to the boils and pointy chin.

Although Ito’s scenarios lack the visceral weirdness of Kazuo Umezu’s, Ito’s superior draftsmanship serves him well in Dissolving Classroom. Yuuma provides an instructive example: as Ito draws him, he’s the epitome of the nice young man, a blandly handsome canvas onto which adults and teens can project their own desires. His exaggerated gestures — downcast eyes, supplicating posture — initially register as desperation, as if he’s apologizing for a political scandal or an international diplomatic incident. Look closer, however, and we see a note of eroticism in the way Ito draws Yuuma’s face; those rolled eyes are more expression of ecstasy than shame, hinting at Yuuma’s real reason for bowing and scraping.

Ito seeds the narrative with other visual clues about what’s motivating Yuuma: demonic eyes peering through a veil of fog, a clandestine animal cemetery. When we finally learn Yuuma’s not-so-surprising secret, Ito pulls out all the stops. The climax is a molten flow of brains, limbs, and entrails that’s amusingly reminiscent of the Ark of the Covenant scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark. The effect is less scary than preposterous, but suggests that we’re all too willing to believe that a grand display of manners is evidence of good character, rather than an effort to deflect attention away from egregious behavior.

It’s only in the bonus story “Children of the Earth” that we see Ito at his most Umezian — the Ito familiar from Gyo, Uzumaki, and Tomie. In this brief vignette, parents frantically scour the woods for a missing kindergarten class. What they discover is genuinely unnerving: their children have transformed into something not quite human, not quite animal, and not quite vegetable, sitting uncomfortably between these three planes of existence. Ito’s nightmarish imagery harkens back to the yokai prints of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and Utagawa Kuniyoshi in which ordinary creatures — catfish, tanuki — became monstrous through the addition of exaggerated human features. But “Children of the Earth” also has affinities with Umezu’s manga; like Umezu, Ito is good at excavating the subconscious, making us confront our most disturbing thoughts and dreams in Grand Guignol fashion.

If the rest of Dissolving Classroom doesn’t quite reach the same Umezian heights — or is that depths? — as “Children of the Earth,” it still makes a fine introduction to Ito’s work. It’s coherently plotted, crisply drawn, and provocative enough to make all that gory excess meaningful. Recommended.

DISSOLVING CLASSROOM • BY JUNJI ITO • VERTICAL COMICS • NO RATING (SUITABLE FOR TEENS 13 AND OLDER)

Pick of the Week: A Short Month Long on Picks

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ASH: Originally my pick for this week was so clear! I simply couldn’t pass up a gorgeous, deluxe box set of the Revolutionary Girl Utena manga (even if the contents might not live up to their presentation). Alas, the release date has been delayed until April. That being the case, I’ll fall back on one of my favorite manga series currently being released; Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun never fails to delight.

SEAN: I loves me some Nozaki-kun too, and I’m also very interested in the digital debut of House of the Sun. But my choice is the 2nd volume in Nisioisin’s Bakemonogatari novel, featuring Suruga Monkey and Nadeko Snake. There will be words. Oh so many words.

MICHELLE: I’m definitely interested in House of the Sun, and several other titles from Kodansha, but what I’m most asquee about is the continuation of Nodame Cantabile in digital-only releases, starting with volume seventeen!

KATE: My pick is the fourth volume of Sweetness and Lightning. It isn’t in the same league as my all-time favorite food manga — really, can anything top Oishinbo? — but its sincerity and appealing characters more than compensate for the occasional ham-fisted scene. In fact, I’m getting hungry just thinking about Sweetness and Lightning right now…

ANNA: I think out of everything coming out this week, I’m most excited about Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun. Bring on the wacky antics!

MJ: I’m always on board for more Nozaki-kun, but this week I have to join Michelle in celebrating the digital return of Nodame Cantabile! I was devastated when that series was dropped in the US, and I’m beyond thrilled to see it back, even if it won’t be able to fill my physical manga shelves.

A First Look at We Never Learn

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We Never Learn follows a tried-and-true shonen formula: an ordinary joe finds himself at the apex of a love triangle with two pretty girls. The points of this particular triangle are Yuiga, a bright, hard-working student from a poor family; Ogata, a math whiz whose classmates call her “Thumbelina Calculator”; and Furahashi, a budding literary talent whose classmates call her “Sleeping Beauty of the Literary Forest.” (Something tells me those nicknames were funnier in the original Japanese.) In keeping with the dictates of the genre, Ogata and Furahashi are physical and temperamental opposites: Ogata is petite, cold, and disdainful, while Furahashi is lanky, spazzy, and cheerful. Both girls initially appear to be out of Yuiga’s league, as they outperform him in the classroom and outclass him in looks.

The story takes an interesting turn midway through chapter one: Yuiga’s school hires him to tutor Ogata and Furahashi, both of whom are blissfully unaware of their natural strengths. Ogata dreams of enrolling in a prestigious liberal arts school, while Furahashi hopes to attend an engineering college. In trying to help Ogata and Furahashi achieve their goals, Yuiga discovers that his high EQ is a better asset than his book smarts. Yuiga knows how to cope with failure: as we learn in a flashback, he was once a mediocre student who gradually improved through trial and error. Ogata and Furahashi, by contrast, are portrayed as naturally brilliant in their respective fields but lacking the experience or maturity to master their weaker subjects.

Of course, there are plenty of elements you’d expect to see in a shonen rom-com: gratuitous shower and bath scenes, melodramatic proclamations, and a supporting cast of interchangeable classmates, none of whom make much of an impression. The manga’s generous portrayal of its principle characters and its genuine sincerity, however, suggest that We Never Learn has the potential to be sweetly funny without making Yuiga into an insufferable know-it-all or a dweeby doormat.

The bottom line: Try before you buy! The first chapter is available free on the VIZ website; readers wishing to continue the story can do so through the digital version of Shonen Jump. 

WE NEVER LEARN • BY TAISHI TSUTUI • VIZ MEDIA • RATED T, for teen (13+)

Pick of the Week: Erased and Others

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SEAN: There’s quite a few titles I’m getting this week, but I’m not sure any of them really set themselves up above the rest as a Pick. As such, I think I’ll go with an old favorite and pick the 10th omnibus of Fruits Basket, which has Shigure’s nastiest speech to Tohru, and is therefore fascinating.

MICHELLE: I’m definitely all aboard for Fruits Basket, but after reading more about it, Erased sounds really interesting! Plus, it’s been nominated for all sorts of awards. I think I’ll be optimistic and pick it this week.

KATE: I’m torn between the latest volume of Dimension W and the first volume of Erased. I’m leaning ever-so-slightly towards Dimension W, if only because Yuji Iwahara draws manga like nobody’s business. Every detail on the page pops, and the characters are drawn with flair. And his world-building! You could read Dimension W just for the elaborate cityscapes. The story isn’t quite as engrossing as the art, but it’s fundamentally impossible to dislike an adventure in which Nikola Tesla’s research is frequently referenced.

ASH: I’m glad that Michelle picked Erased (which I will definitely be reading) because that means I can mention Magia the Ninth without feeling guilty. I can’t say it’s a great series–at times it’s barely coherent an I suspect that it was ended earlier than the creator originally intended–but I enjoyed the first volume immensely. I find it hard to resist the combination of music, magic, and historical references. The manga is absolutely ridiculous, but I’m getting a huge kick out of it and it makes me smile. Sometimes, that’s exactly what I need.

MJ: I have eternal love for Fruits Basket, of course, and I’m also interested in Dimension W. But I was absolutely thrilled to see Erased on the list, and that’s unambiguously my pick for the week. My husband and I watched the anime adaptation last year, when it was released for streaming in the U.S., and it was absolutely enthralling. This is a release I will not miss!

ANNA: I agree with many of my colleagues that Erased certainly sounds like the most interesting thing coming out this week. Looking forward to it!