Katherine Dacey

SEAN: Apologies to Ai Yazawa, and I’m sure someone will pick her later on. But this is the final volume of Ascendance of a Bookworm, and I have to pick it. It’s made choices I wouldn’t, but it’s a series that has had some of the best worldbuilding in light novels for the last few years, and Myne/Rozemyne is a fantastic main character. Long May She Read.

MICHELLE: I’ll gladly accept that responsibility. *Last Quarter* for me! I don’t know anything about it but it’s Ai Yazawa and that’s enough for me.

ASH: I wholeheartedly support both of those picks, but I’m still going to add a third one into the mix; Giga Town: The Guide to Manga Iconography is a release that I’ve been very curious about since I first heard about it. I’m looking forward to some educational reading.

ANNA: New Ai Yazawa for me!

KATE: I’m joining Ash in making Giga Town my pick of the week; I’ve been excited about this title since the Mangasplainers first announced it last year.

MICHELLE: I’ll cast my vote for the fourth and final volume of Glitch. Not that I have managed to read any of the earlier volumes yet, but it’s still the most compelling release for me this week.

SEAN: There’s a new Tearmoon Empire, tra-la, tra-la, let’s avoid the guillotine together!

ASH: This week I’m going to go with raunchy romantic comedy danmei with a delightfully ridiculous premise. It’s You’ve Got Mail: The Perils of Pigeon Post for me!

KATE: This is one of those weeks where I’m overwhelmed by how many titles are being released but underwhelmed at the selection. If I had to make a choice, though, my vote would go to volume four of the new deluxe edition of Tokyo Babylon. Yes, Dark Horse and Tokyopop have both issued their own editions of this CLAMP classic, but the new Yen Press version looks pretty snazzy and is giving me Borders-in-2006 vibes.

SEAN: My pick this week is the final manga volume of Bakemonogatari. Starting off as an impossible attempt to have a manga version live up to NISIOISIN’s prose and SHAFT’s anime style, the author and Oh!Great managed to make a unique story that, especially in the last half of the series, carved out its own path, trying to show the fates of almost everyone in the series (it would be very hard to show all of Nadeko’s fate, can’t blame it there) since it can’t go on for 40 more books. Oh, and kept it absolutely filled with blatant fanservice. I really loved this series.

MICHELLE: Of course I am happy about Don’t Call It Mystery, but the most intriguing release this week is Even If There’s No Rainbow Tomorrow. The retro vibes of its cover are lovely, too.

KATE: I’m torn between two titles this week: The Summer Hikaru Died, an atmospheric blend of body horror, BL, and fantasy with fabulous artwork, and Don’t Call It a Mystery, a series that defies easy description, but reminds me a little of Columbo (with better hair).

ASH: All excellent choices, for sure! (As well as some excellent descriptions.) I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention Oba Electroplating Factory since I had somehow forgot about it until my comic shop let me know it was in my box to pick up. But as for this week’s debuts, I’m most intrigued by the prospect of reading Hell Is Dark with No Flowers. A horror novel series featuring yokai? Yup, that one has my name on it.

ANNA: I’m going to make Don’t Call It Mystery my pick, in the hope that will prompt me to get caught up on it!

MICHELLE: Kaze Hikaru! I am tempted to say “Enough said,” but there’s also the third and final volume of Guardian that’s very high on my list.

SEAN: Yeah, we only get to do this once a year, so it’s definitely Kaze Hikaru this week. Though I am also interested in <Guardian.

ANNA: Kaze Hikaru, no question!

ASH: As far as debuts go, I find The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store is the one that intrigues me the most. But, yeah, I shall also join in with a hearty Kaze Hikaru!

KATE: Do I even need to say it? Kaze Hikaru! The release schedule is frustrating, but I’m grateful that VIZ has stayed the course with this lovely, lively, and sometimes heartbreaking series.

SEAN: My pick this week is the final volume of Yokohama Kaidachi Kikou, a series that I never thought would get licensed and I am delighted that it did.

MICHELLE: I’ve been playing a lot of Monster of the Week lately, so a story about a supernatural consultant who’s investigating a creepy house with a creepy room is right up my street. The Strange House for me!

KATE: I second Sean’s pick: Yokohama Kaidachi Kikou was on my radar for YEARS before it was licensed, and it’s better than I’d hope it would be. Like Station Eleven, this is a story about a post-apocalyptic world where the few survivors find meaning by hanging on to small but important rituals. I know I’m making it sound like a major downer, but Yokohama Kaidachi Kikou isn’t the least bit depressing; if anything, I find each new volume makes me feel just a little more hopeful about the future.

ASH: Yokohama Kaidachi Kikou is absolutely a solid choice. And now that the series has been fully released, I plan on spending some time with it. But I’m also going to second Michelle’s pick; The Strange House sounds like something I should be reading, too.

ANNA: I’m convinced to give Yokohama Kaidachi Kikou a try!

MICHELLE: I enjoyed the first volume of Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You: Soulmate, so I’ll make the second volume my pick this week.

SEAN: I’ll pick Viz as well but for me it’s the new volume of Blue Box, a series I think works much better in volume format, so you can take a break from teens being teens every other month. Great sports/romance combo.

KATE: All the cool kids are reading Medalist (or so I hear), so I’m going to add that to my ever-growing list of Series I Want to Read, But Just Haven’t Found the Time to Do So.

ASH: I’ll probably wait until its print release to actually read it, but the debut I’m most curious about this week is actually Soup Forest: The Story of the Woman Who Speaks with Animals and the Former Mercenary. A wholesome woodland romance sounds really nice, actually, and there’s food, too!

ANNA: I’m all in for Like a Butterfly this week!

SEAN: Lots of BL and beloved authors to choose from this week, but I’m going to go with the latest of one of my favorite light novel series, Though I Am an Inept Villainess. This is supposed to be a “lighter” volume, we’ll see if that’s true.

MICHELLE: I am torn between Terano-kun and Kumazaki-kun and My Noisy Roommate, so maybe I can get away with picking both.

KATE: I’m intrigued by Kaina of the Great Snow Sea, not least because Tsutomu Nihei is credited as the author, so I’ll make that my POTW.

ANNA: I’m going to go with Mermaid Prince, just because I’m always curious about Kaori Ozaki series.

ASH: All strong choices, for sure, but I’ll be joining Anna this week in picking Mermaid Prince; I’ve really enjoyed Kaori Ozaki’s past work and so look forward to reading more.

SEAN: This week is about digital favorites hitting print for me, so my joint pick of the week is Ascendance of a Bookworm: Short Story Collection and the latest Tearmoon Empire.

MICHELLE: After reading Sean’s glowing praise of Sketchy‘s first volume, I am going to choose the second volume of same this week!

ASH: There are definitely a few really great ongoing series with new volumes this week, but my pick goes to The Untamed: The Official Artbook. One of the things that makes the live-action adaptation of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation so great is its visuals, so this should be great, too.

KATE: Any week that gives us new installments of Even Though We’re Adults and Akane-banashi is a good one in my book!

ANNA: Picks are thin on the ground for me this week, but I will admit I am curious about True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends – One Star in the Night Sky.

MICHELLE: Of this week’s offerings, HIrayasumi looks the most interesting to me, but I’m also pleased to see another volume of Tokyo These Days coming out. Now if I could only find time to read it!

SEAN: My eyes, as always, are drawn to a Harta title. As such, my pick this week is Friday at the Atelier, which looks more interesting than the synopsis I gave it.

ANNA: I gotta go with Nina the Starry Bride due to my general love of fantasy shoujo. Also it is very pretty.

ASH: It’s a novel rather than a manga, but this week I’m most curious about The God of Nishi-Yuigahama Station. Seeing as it deals with death and grief, I don’t anticipate it being a light read; the premise sounds like the book could be rather compelling, though.

KATE: You know me: my pick of the week is almost always (a) animal-oriented (b) old-school and slightly trashy or (c) Eisner bait. Tokyo These Days falls squarely into the third category, but don’t let that deter you from picking it up. It’s haunting, funny, weird, and joyful, offering a glimpse of what it’s like to work in the manga industry behind the scenes. Oh, and it has some of the best artwork in any Japanese comic being translated for the US market. And if I *still* haven’t persuaded you to buy it, I have one more ace up my sleeve: at three volumes, it’s easy to jump on the Tokyo train right now and be fully caught up by the time the final installment is published later this year.

SEAN: The “worthy” pick is The Beast Player, but the “most excited for” pick is the new A Sign of Affection.

MICHELLE: Gotta be Therapy Game Restart for me!

ANNA: I’m behind, but I’m not going to pass up an opportunity to pick Nina the Starry Bride!

ASH: There are actually quite a few things I’m interested in this week, but The Beast Player holds most of my attention. Anything by Nahoko Uehashi I’m going to want to read (even if I’ve read the story before) and Itoe Takemoto’s illustrations and style appeal to me, too.

KATE: I’m with Ash this week: I cast my vote for The Beast Player.

MICHELLE: I am very tempted to choose Yona of the Dawn here, because it’s so great, but man that cover of I See Your Face, Turned Away has just hooked me with its simplicity. I’m most curious about that one, this week!

SEAN: I really enjoy the works by this author, so my pick is their new one shot light novel, True Love Fades Away When the Contract Ends – One Star in the Night Sky.

ASH: Both of those appeal to me as well, but I’m going with Mobsters in Love as my official pick. I’ve read other series with similar premises, but it amuses me and I’ve really enjoyed the BL selections from Square Enix thus far.

ANNA: Yona of the Dawn for me!

KATE: I like the cover of I See Your Face Turned Away–so moody!–but I need something a little sillier to get me through finals week, so I cast my vote for Monster Cats.

SEAN: Honestly, the title I’m most interested in this week is Fish Society, despite the fact that I’m 99% sure that once I pick it Ed will tell me that that release date is not accurate. But it’s STILL the most interesting thing on the list.

KATE: I second Sean’s pick; I liked An Invitation from a Crab and am looking forward to more of Panpaya’s surreal, beautiful storytelling.

MICHELLE: I think I’ll buck the trend and go for My Androgynous Boyfriend this week. I’m in the mood for this sort of josei.

ASH: I’m on team Fish Society this week or whichever week it ends up actually being released! I’ve greatly enjoyed the creator’s other works and so expect I’ll appreciate this one, too.

ANNA: I shall join with the chorus of appreciation for Fish Society!

ASH: There are some interesting releases this week, for sure, but I’m more inclined to nab newer volumes of ongoing series rather than any of the debuts. That being said, my pick this actually does go to the debut of The Mimosa Confessions. Granted, I’ll be waiting for it to come out in print before I actually read it…

MICHELLE: The Mimosa Confessions gets my pick as well, but there *is* some Yumi Tamura on the schedule, so that can never go without happy commentary.

ANNA: Yumi Tamura for meeeeeeeeeeeee!

SEAN: The last volume ended with everyone sobbing their eyes out (except the one girl who played the saxophone), and I desperately want to know what happens next, so the 6th Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle is my pick!

KATE: I had a love-hate relationship with Shuzo Oshimi’s Blood on the Tracks, but the penultimate volume is coming to stores this week and I’m feeling an itch to read it. I want to find out what happens to Seiichi, even though my Spidey sense is telling me that this is story with an unhappy (and probably squick-inducing) ending.

MICHELLE: I’m pretty intrigued by The Disabled Tyrant’s Beloved Pet Fish, but am gonna choose the fifth and final Marmalade Boy release because I still love this series so much and it’s a classic for good reason!

KATE: This is one of those weeks I’ve been saving up for, as there is SO MUCH good stuff arriving at your local comic shop. I second Michelle’s pick–Marmalade Boy is gloriously silly–but I also plan to buy Akane-banashi, The Fable, Tales of the Tendo Family, and Sketchy, as I NEED a manga about women finding a sense of purpose through skateboarding.

ANNA: There’s a ton of intriguing titles coming out this week, but I’m going to make Tales of the Tendo Family my pick because I’m always here to check out a Ken Saito manga.

SEAN: I’m with Kate this week: Sketchy has such a great sounding premise that even if it doesn’t quite measure up it’s still my pick of the week.

ASH: Lots of good stuff coming out this week, for sure! Everyone’s picks are solid, and I will readily admit to enjoying the first volume of Tales of the Tendo Family, but think I’m going to go with The Fable. (If for no other reason than needing to know more about the pet parrot.)

SEAN: Once again, tempted to just say “Viz”. We get so much good shoujo this week, with a new sequel for Kimi ni Todoke, the next Neighborhood Story, and the first Skip Beat! in 11 months. But my pick is the final volume of Kaguya:sama: Love Is War, a series that was one of the funniest romantic comedies to come along in years, and even had its fair share of drama as well.

MICHELLE: There’s so much good stuff this week that I almost don’t know what to pick! I’ve chosen perennial favorites Skip Beat! and Chihayafuru so many times, though, so instead I’ll opt for Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You: Soulmate. I loved the original series a great deal.

ANNA: There’s a lot of great stuff coming out this week but Skip Beat! has my heart!

ASH: It’s a great week for Shojo Beat, but the debut that has caught my eye is actually Nagahama to Be, or Not to Be. I’ve enjoyed the creator’s other works, so I suspect I’ll like this one, too.

KATE: The correct answer is Neighborhood Story!