Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Katherine Dacey

Pick of the Week: A Smorgasbord of Manga

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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.)

Pick of the Week: Turn the Skip Beat Around

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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!

Pick of the Week: Medalist Medalist Medalist

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SEAN: Medalist, it’s Medalist, you will read Medalist, go on, get it in print AND digital, look, the logo is slightly different, read Medalist.

MICHELLE: I feel this strange compulsion to pick Medalist…

ANNA: I am also going to pick Medalist!

ASH: Likewise! Now that Medalist is available in print, it’s absolutely my pick. I feel like I maybe heard from someone, or three, or thirty that it was pretty good.

KATE: I suppose I could be a total contrarian and pick one of the many isekai titles on this week’s list, but in the spirit of solidarity with the rest of the Battle Robot, I’m throwing my weight behind Medalist.

Pick of the Week: Historical and Horror

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KATE: This week’s list has several tempting titles! In particular, I’m curious about two debuts: Nude Model and Other Stories and The Blue Wolves of Mibu, both of which look like the kind of grown-up fare I’ve been craving. I’ll also be picking up the fourth volume of Cat + Gamer—cute kitties for the win!—and My Name is Shingo, from the one and only Kazuo Umezz.

MICHELLE: I also think The Blue Wolves of Mibu looks interesting, but this week I am actually all about horror. My Name Is Shingo for me!

ANNA: The Blue Wolves of Mibu for me!

SEAN: I normally would not touch Kazuo Umezz with a ten-foot pole, as it’s the sort of horror that scares me, but I have had many, many people telling me to read this, so My Name Is Shingo is my pick this week.

ASH: It’s My Name Is Shingo for me, too! I will likewise admit to being curious about The Blue Wolves of Mibu and Nude Model and Other Stories, but I simply can’t pass up psychological horror robot manga.

Pick of the Week: Final Volumes and Ongoing Ones

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SEAN: I didn’t realize till I was writing up Manga the Week of post that Ako and Bambi is from the creator of Horimiya. That definitely pushes it into the “I should really check this out” territory, so it’s my pick this week.

MICHELLE: I Think Our Son Is Gay is coming to an end, so I’ll take my last chance to pick it this week!

ASH: I’m definitely tempted to make I Think Our Son Is Gay my pick this week, too, considering how delightful the series has been. As for debuts, though, Yen Press does have my attention with Taking Care of God and Whoever Steals This Book, among others.

ANNA: I’m going to renew my commitment to getting caught up on Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet and make that my pick!

KATE: It’s a rare week when I’m planning to buy more than one new title (if that!), but this week I’ll be shelling out for three—count ’em—new arrivals: the debut volume of Ako and Bambi, the sixth volume of Kowloon Generic Romance, and the done-in-one Taking Care of God.

The Manga Review: The Interview

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As part of a broader conversation about the state of the comics industry, ICv2 just wrapped up a week of interviews with major figures in North American manga publishing. Kevin Hamric, VIZ Media’s Vice-President of Publishing, noted that “manga sales are stronger than pre‑COVID, but not as strong as it was during COVID,” with series such as Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and One Piece performing well through all retail channels. Those sentiments were echoed by Yen Press Publisher Kurt Hassler, who pointed to the “runaway” success of Oshi no Ko and Solo Leveling as signs of a robust market. Hassler was also bullish on manhwa: “I wholly expect that manhwa will continue to outperform for the foreseeable future, especially following the success of Solo Leveling and with highly anticipated releases, such as Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.” Ben Applegate, an editorial director at Kodansha, shared Hamric and Hassler’s rosy assessment of manga’s future in the US, noting that even though overall sales were down in 2023, last year was still “third best year for manga sales ever in the English language.” And Marc Visnick, COO and Publisher of the smallest of the four publishers, noted that Tokyopop has adopted a somewhat different approach than its competitors. “We’re probably one of the few within the space that actually had an up year last year, when you look at our list in its entirety,” Visnic notes. “That’s attributable to our boutique strategy of really looking at quality versus quantity in terms of what we release.”

NEWS ROUND-UP

More than twenty years after she launched Kimi no Todoke, artist Karuho Shiina just published the the first chapters of a new series in Bessatsu Margaret… VIZ announced that it would be teaming up with Marvel for new X-Men and Spider-Man manga… Blue Lock and Dandadan were two of the fastest growing manga franchises last year… VIZ recently added a new title to its Shonen Jump line-up: Super Psychic Policeman Chojo… and Kodansha just began serialization of Yoshinori Matsuoka’s Re:Anima, one of several English-first titles on offer through its K-Manga app.

ESSAYS AND PODCASTS

File this under Better Late Than Never: the staff at WWAC list their favorite manga of 2023, from Mermaid Scales and the Town of Sand to Neighborhood Story. [Women Write About Comics]

Anime Feminist asks, “What shojosei series still needs to be licensed/rescued?” My vote goes to Hideko Mizuno’s rock ‘n’ roll masterpiece Fire! [Anime Feminist]

If you want a complete list of all the recent licensing announcements from VIZ and Seven Seas, look no further than The OASG, where Justin and Helen mull over this week’s news. Spoiler alert: VIZ is bringing back the OOP shojo classic Red River in an omnibus edition. [The OASG]

The Reverse Thieves name I Want to be a Receptionist in This Magical World as their manga of the month. [Reverse Thieves]

Tony Yao explains how one of Blue Lock‘s characters deals with trauma on and off the field. [Drop-In to Manga]

Xan and Gretta take a close look at Bocchi the Rock, “a hilarious comedy about a shut in guitarist who joins a rock band.” [Spiraken Manga Review]

Over at the Mangasplaining podcast, David Brothers convenes a round table on Masakazu Ishiguro’s sci-fi series Heavenly Delusion. [Mangasplaining]

REVIEWS

This week’s must-read review comes from Jackson P. Brown, who offers an in-depth look at Fuyumi Soryo’s Mars, which vividly captures “the full onslaught of teenage angst, where the whole world feels like it’s ending, and every decision is unshakable, and every argument is an earth-shattering event, and actions are made from places of extreme emotion”… Piro uses the final installment of Phantom Tales of the Night as a jumping-off point for exploring what it means to be human… DoctorKev explores the complexity of Ghost in the Shell…. Hagai Palvsky deconstructs Yūichi Yokoyama’s Baby Boom… and Kristin weighs on on the deluxe edition of Vinland Saga.

Pick of the Week: Valentine Manga

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MICHELLE: There are several interesting releases this week about boys in love. I honestly kind of wish I could pick Case File Compendium: Bing An Ben, because a “modern dark SF take” on danmei sounds intriguing, but it had the misfortune to be up against the third volume of Therapy Game Restart, to whom my heart steadfastly belongs.

SEAN: I feel like a nice romcom, so my pick this week will be I Have a Crush at Work, which wins out over I Want to End This Love Game by being about adults.

ASH: If I Have a Crush at Work ever ends up being released in print, I definitely want to give it a try; it looks delightful. In the meantime, I’ll still pick a Kodansha offering and go with The White and Blue Between Us. (As Michelle already pointed out, there’s more than one promising BL title this week!)

ANNA: I guess I’m going to go with Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle in the hopes that one day I will get caught up on it!

KATE: I only have eyes for one title this week: Akane-banashi, a manga that proves the Shonen Jump formula can be applied to *any* human endeavor from cooking to inline skating to rakugo.

The Manga Review: Stacy’s Mom

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It’s crowdsourcing time! Last year, I asked readers to share which manga podcasts they liked best. I compiled everyone’s suggestions and created a podcast directory at The Manga Critic. This time around, I want to know which sites you routinely visit for manga reviews. In particular, I’m looking for sites that publish print reviews, rather than sites that post video content. You can tweet or skeet (sorry) your suggestions to me, or leave a comment below.

NEWS ROUND-UP

The big news story of the week: Japanese police arrested two men for publishing Weekly Shonen Jump chapters before their official release date. The men allegedly used smartphones to photograph the material in question… Crunchyroll announced that Funimation’s app and website will be deactivated on April 2nd, and warned users that “Crunchyroll does not currently support Funimation Digital copies, which means that access to previously available digital copies will not be supported”… Brigid Alverson highlights some upcoming titles from Drawn & Quarterly… Makoto Ojiro (Insomniacs After School) is hard at work on a new series… and Tokyopop is running a special Valentine’s Day promotion.

ESSAYS AND PODCASTS

Jon Holt and Ayumi Naraoka translate Shimizu Isao’s 2005 essay “Natsume Sōseki and Manga.” [The Comics Journal]

If you’re on Bluesky, check out Katy Castillo’s helpful directory of anime, manga, and light novel publishers who have a presence there. [Yatta-Tachi]

The gang at No Flying No Tights compiles a helpful list of comics and manga that offer practical advice on how to declutter your home, make dumplings, and be a better citizen. [No Flying No Tights]

The Wonder of Anime podcast is back in full swing with an in-depth look at One Piece. [The Wonder of Anime]

Elliot and Andy take a deep dive into Ai Yazawa’s Neighborhood Story and Paradise Kiss. [Screen Tone Club]

The Manga Machinations crew convene a round table on Mari Okazaki’s Will I Be Single Forever? [Manga Machinations]

Over at Mangaroos, the gang discusses Atshushi Kaneko’s EVOL, a “wild, punk rock take on anti-super heroes and the decaying of our social fabric” that “may or may not be Sonic Youth fan fiction.” [Mangaroos]

REVIEWS

Sarah praises Since I Could Die Tomorrow, an honest look at menopause and middle age that, in her words, is “surprisingly life-enhancing”… Kara Dennison gives a big thumbs-up to Fool’s Night, which is currently available on the VIZ app… and Megan D. kicks off a month of Bad Romance with a review of You Like Me, Not My Daughter?!

Pick of the Week: We Know What We Like

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SEAN: There’s a lot going on this week. Lots of great shoujo, some josei from Tokyopop (Stu’s left, it’s OK to buy them again), but I am who I am, so my pick is absolutely RVing My Way into Exile with My Beloved Cat: This Villainess Is Trippin’, which combines the trend in villainess stories with the trend in camping isekais, and I’m all for it.

MICHELLE: I am also who I am, which happens to be a woman on the cusp of turning 50, so Since I Could Die Tomorrow gets my vote!

ASH: Well, if we’re going with the manga one might most likely expect us to choose, The Tree of Death: Yomotsuhegui is a good candidate for my pick this week. Revenge, supernatural horror, and immortality are all story elements that regularly capture my attention.

ANNA: I will go along with this trend and make In the Name of the Mermaid Princess my pick, because I think you can’t get much more shoujo than mermaid princesses.

KATE: I hate the title but like the concept, so my pick goes to Since I Could Die Tomorrow, an honest look at menopause and middle age.

Bookshelf Briefs 2/2/24

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Bakemonogatari, Vol. 20 | By NISIOISIN and Oh!Great | Kodansha Manga – This continues to take all the remaining arcs that Oh!Great wasn’t going to have time to get to and throwing them ALL into Tsubasa Cat. So we get the bulk of Shinobu Mail here, And we also get a great deal of Tsubasa Tiger. The mangaka and writer are clearly working quite closely on this, and NISIOISIN is taking the opportunity to clean up and improve some stuff. The scene between Senjougahara and Hanekawa in Tsubasa Tiger the book is great, but here it’s great and makes much more sense. (And also gives us the shower scene as much as it can—NISIOISIN and Oh!Great both love their fanservice.) The manga version may be ending in two books’ time, but it’s going out with a bang. Highly recommended for fans of the franchise. – Sean Gaffney

Doomsday Cleaning | By zaki | Star Fruit Books – This charming short story may remind you a little—OK, a lot—of Wall-E, as its main protagonist is a robot tasked with cleaning up trash on a seemingly uninhabited planet. When the robot crosses paths with an animated pig, however, the robot gets swept up in an unexpected quest to retrieve a piece of junk that holds special meaning for its new porcine companion. Their journey to the bottom of an enormous trash pit is both suspenseful and surprisingly touching, while a third-act twist adds a dash of humor that pushes the story in a new, delightful direction that invites the reader to view the robot’s mission in a new light. Crisp artwork is the icing on the cupcake. – Katherine Dacey

I Married My Female Friend, Vol. 1 | By Shio Usui | Seven Seas – I was surprised how much I enjoyed this, given what I was expecting. The basic plot is that two best friends promise, if they’re still single in five years, they’ll marry each other. Well, it’s five years later, and gay marriage is now legal, so they’re now married, and one of them is writing about the experience for a column. Of course, the twist is that one of the two actually IS romantically attracted… or at least, I certainly seem to think so. What makes this so much fun is that the other half of the partnership is not framed as clueless or thick for missing this, it really is hard to pick up. Still, they grow closer anyway, and things come to a head with a hospital visit. This is from the Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon artist, and is just as good. I really like Kurumi especially. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 27 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – We start the epilogue to this series with this volume. The main crisis is “resolved,” but that doesn’t mean everything’s hunky-dory. For one thing, Shirogane is off to Stanford, and Kaguya oversleeps and misses telling him goodbye, which leads to one of the funniest gags in the entire series. Elsewhere, Shirogane is also told what kind of man he’ll have to become in order to protect someone like Kaguya—he’s got to get much better with money, for one—and Kaguya decides what she wants to do for her career, but runs into a slight problem in trying to put it into motion, a problem not helped by Ishigami’s presence. All this plus the final (?) chapter in the Chika Fujiwara, Ramen Master side story. This is still great fun. – Sean Gaffney

Pass the Monster Meat, Milady!, Vol. 1 | By Kanata Hoshi and Chika Mizube | Kodansha Manga – Based on an as-yet-unlicensed light novel, this is another villainess story—but instead of an “Akuyaku Reijou,” we get an “Akujiki Reijou,” because our heroine absolutely terrifies people. Melfiera has been told, after several years of failure, to get a husband or she’ll be sent to a convent. The trouble is… she loves to eat the meat from monsters, which, while normally poisonous, is tasty when properly prepared. Shunned by most, she then runs into her soulmate, Duke Galbraith, the “Mad Duke,” who glories in killing monsters. He falls for her immediately, she falls almost as hard. And they’re honestly made for each other. This is fun, with two eccentric people complementing each other’s foibles. – Sean Gaffney

The Manga Review: Leaping into February

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Sad news for shojo fans: Hinako Ashihara, creator of Sand Chronicles and Sexy Tanaka-San died by suicide earlier this week. Media outlets in Japan and the US have speculated about her motivation, noting that she was dismayed by a recent television adaptation of Tanaka-San. In a now-deleted blog post, she expressed frustration that the script made several significant deviations from the manga and criticized NTV for not honoring the spirit of her work. Anime News Network has more details on this developing story.

NEWS ROUND-UP

According to Circana BookScan’s 2023 Manga Bestseller chart, VIZ Media had another banner year, claiming 18 of the top 20 spots… Kodansha just unveiled C-Station, “a new licensing information site” for companies wishing to use Kodansha IP for commercial purposes… Eyeshield 21 celebrated its twenty-first anniversary with a new chapter featuring Sena Kobayakawa and his pals… AKIRA enthusiasts with $30,000 can get their own Kaneda Bike from Bel&Bel… and Mari Yamazaki is working on a new installment of her popular Thermae Romae series, this one focused on Uncle Lucius.

ESSAYS AND PODCASTS

Bookmark this page: Katy Castillo compiles a complete list of February’s new manga and light novel releases. [Yatta-Tachi]

Kara Dennison recommends three great manga you can read in one sitting. [Otaku USA]

David and Jordan offer their first impressions of Yoakemono. [Shonen Flop]

For a super-powered shojo team up, tune in to Ashley and Megan D.’s recent podcast about Juline, a ninja drama from the creator of the inscrutable Vampire Princess Miyu. [Shojo & Tell]

If you enjoyed Yama Wayama’s Let’s Go Karaoke, Jocelyne Allen has some good news for you: the sequel is every bit as good as the original. [Brain vs. Book]

REVIEWS

Remember when Stu Levy and Courtney Love wrote a manga together? Megan D. does, and has some thoughts about Princess Ai… Tom Shapira reviews Gou Tanabe’s adaption of The Shadow Over Innsmouth… D. Morris checks out Hideshi Hino’s horror classic Panorama of Hell… and Renee Scott revisits Magic Knight Rayearth.

Pick of the Week: Off the Radar

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KATE: This week’s list is uninspiring, to say the least. My recommendation? Go pick up the first volume of Tokyo These Days and be reminded why Taiyō Matsumoto is one of the best artists working in comics, well… these days.

MICHELLE: Yeah, I am admittedly at a loss here. I’m just not the target demographic for a lot of this stuff.

ASH: Not much new is really calling to me this week, either, so maybe I’ll take the opportunity to catch up on some long overdue reading. Next up for me is probably Kafka, a collection of Nishioka Kyodai’s manga which was released by Pushkin Press back in October.

ANNA: You know what’s a good manga? Swan by Kyoko Ariyoshi. That’s my pick!

SEAN: I feel as if I owe it to the poor list of this week’s titles, beaten down by everyone else, to choose something from it. So I’ll avoid a hairy problem (sorry) by choosing the newest Cocoon Entwined.

The Manga Review: Rated Teen+

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This week’s must-read article focuses on manga rating systems. Otaku USA editor Danica Davidson sat down with Kodansha’s Ben Applegate for an in-depth comparison between Japanese and North American publishers’ approach to content warnings. “There is no industry wide standard for age ratings” here in the US, Applegate notes. “That’s not just in the manga industry, but for the publishing industry writ large. There are systems that certain publications use, and there are systems certain publishers create or adopt, but there’s no industry organization like the MPAA or RIAA for music, imposing guidelines for publishers on the outside.” That means American publishers spend a lot of time developing labels to help consumers decide if an “All Ages” title is, in fact, suitable for very young kids who may be in the earliest stages of learning how to read as well as kids in grades three, four, and five.

NEWS ROUNDUP

Did you know that Princess Mononoke is one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s favorite films? Me, neither… speaking of Miyazaki, The Boy and the Heron received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature… Kodansha will publish the first volume of Initial D with two variant covers… after a five-month hiatus, Land of the Lustrous will resume in the April issue of Afternoon… Yen Press just announced nine new titles for July 2024… VIZ just added Star Wars: Visions to its May line-up… and Last Gasp will publish Keiichi Koike’s series Ultra Heaven about “a dystopian alternative present where any kind of substance able to alter the state of mind is legalized and authorized for consumption.”

ESSAYS AND PODCASTS

If you’ve been curious about The Yakuza’s Bias, let Deb Aoki and the Mangasplainers tell you why you should be reading this goofy comedy about “a stoic yakuza” who “gets sucked into the world of K-Pop.” [Mangasplaining]

The Reverse Thieves name Ai Yazawa’s Neighborhood Story their manga of the month. [Reverse Thieves]

Rob offers an in-depth reflection on a new VIZ title, Steel of the Celestial Shadows. [Dad Needs to Talk]

And speaking of samurai, The Mangaroos discuss Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond, “an epic historical action manga” that’s “violent,” “passionate,” and “breathtaking.” [Mangaroos]

In the most recent installment of Screentone Club, Andy and Elliott review two “questionable romances” in “a very questionable setting.” [Screentone Club]

Wondering what new manhwa titles are worth a look? Rebecca Silverman offers a well-curate list of titles from Solo Levelling to Cynical Orange. [ANN]

To mark the thirtieth anniversary of Taiyō Matsumoto’s professional debut, Scott Cederlund revisits Tekkonkinkreet. [From Cover to Cover]

The headline for Tony Yao’s latest essay—Kaiju No.8: The Beauty of a 32-Year Old Hero—is music to this older manga critic’s ears. (The essay is great, too!) [Drop-In to Manga]

REVIEWS

Joe McCulloch weighs in on Taiyō Matsumoto’s latest series, Tokyo These Days… Lisa De La Cruz gives high marks to Send Them a Farewell Gift for the Lost Time and The White and Blue Between Us… Megan D. jumps in the WABAC Machine for a nostalgic look at Yuu Watase’s Arata The Legend… Masha Zhdanova rounds up the best new VIZ titles of January 2024… and the Manga Bookshelf gang offers pithy assessments of new manga.

Pick of the Week: Last Chances and Old Friends

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SEAN: Sometimes I’m surprised how much I enjoy a series, and that’s certainly been the case with the My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer light novels. The 11th book is the final one, so that’s my pick this week. Enjoy a daddy & daughter series that was (for once) wholesome!

MICHELLE: There’s not a whole lot that appeals to me this week, but I really enjoy what I’ve read of Usotoki Rhetoric so far and look forward to catching up on the series.

KATE: Party like it’s 1990! The second volume of Tokyo Bablyon arrives in stores with a new minimalist cover but the same old story that Tokyopop and Dark Horse have offered North American readers before. I have a feeling this series hasn’t aged well, but I may still buy a copy out of sheer nostalgia: Tokyo Babylon was one of the first manga I ever read.

ASH: None of the debut releases this week have managed to capture my attention, but if My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer managed to remain wholesome to the end, I really might need to give it a look!

ANNA: Not much appeals to me either, I’m going to take a moment of silence for the ending of X/1999 that no one will ever see.

The Manga Review: Freeze Frame

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I usually start The Manga Review with industry news, but the announcement that Pitchfork was being folded into GQ has been on my mind this week. Whatever its faults, Pitchfork was one of the few websites still offering idiosyncratic, thought-provoking music reviews in 2023. Their critics could be gratuitously nasty—Jeremy Larson’s scathing assessment of Greta Van Fleet’s Anthem of the Peaceful Army comes to mind—but I always appreciated their efforts to promote obscure artists, hold the music industry to account, and challenge the critical consensus around established acts like Sonic Youth. (Brett DiCrescenzo predicted their 2000 album NYC Ghosts & Flowers “will be heard in the squash courts and open mic nights of deepest hell.”)

We’ve seen something similar happen in the comics sector with CBR and Comics Alliance, two once-independent sites that were acquired by big media companies. For a brief moment, it seemed as if the acquisitions were a positive development, but over time, CBR and Comics Alliance’s owners phased out the in-depth journalism and serious criticism that defined the original sites in favor of click-bait articles, press releases, and toothless reviews. There are still a handful of great sites covering manga and anime—Anime News Network, The Beat, WWAC—but there’s less meaningful criticism overall, and fewer distinctive voices writing manga reviews. We need more of those spaces; they provide a meaningful alternative to the group-think and fan orthodoxies that prevail on Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Reddit, and the industry-cozy reviews on platforms such as CBR. Maybe this is the year YOU start your own site.

NEWS ROUNDUP

Everybody wants to go to Anime NYC 2024 it seems, as three-day passes for the annual convention sold out less than two hours after they went on sale… Yen Press published a list of its top-selling books of 2023… Azuki just announced four new titles… Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron is setting box office records around the world… and the Fifth Circuit just ruled that Texas cannot require book sellers to use a rating system when selling materials to libraries and schools. Brigid Alverson has the full details on this ongoing case.

ESSAYS AND PODCASTS

Tony Yao explains why My Girlfriend’s Child is a refreshingly honest look at the challenges facing teen parents in Japan and elsewhere. [Drop-In to Manga]

Kevin Lainez lists his five favorite manga of 2023. [Comic Book Review]

And speaking of best-of lists, Jordan and David announce the winners of the Shonen Flop Awards for 2023, “the most prestigious awards in canceled manga.” [Shonen Flop]

Also looking back on 2023 are Ray and Gee, who name their five favorite debuts of 2023. [Read Right to Left]

The Manga Machinations team devote their latest podcast to a discussion of Eldo Yoshimizu’s Hen Kai Pan. [Manga Machinations]

ICYMI: Lisa De La Cruz offers five recommendations for readers who share her love of BL manhwa. [The Wonder of Anime]

REVIEWS

Adam Symchuk gives high marks to Since I Could Die Tomorrow, an all-too-rare manga about a career woman in her forties… D. Morris declares Shiro Moriya’s Soloist in a Cage a promising debut… WWAC assembles an all-star team of reviewers to recommend manga and comics worth reading… and the gang at Beneath the Tangles offers an assortment of short and sweet reviews.