Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Michelle Smith

Pick of the Week: Jiu Jiu, 5 Centimeters & more

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SEAN: Given that there’s about 40 gazillion titles coming out this Wednesday at Midtown Comics, narrowing down a pick of the week is hard. I am therefore going to do what I usually do in these cases, which is assume my colleagues will pick the more ‘upscale’ titles and go for my own personal biases. Jiu Jiu is Viz’s latest Shojo Beat series, and it’s from Hana to Yume (and its spinoff), a magazine I adore. It combines shoujo romance with fantasy, as most of the currently licensed crop do (hey, you go with what sells), and features a heroine who is cool and can kick ass when required. Who could ask for anything more?

MICHELLE: Actually, even though I know I should pick the third volume of Wandering Son because it’s bound to be awesome, my heart is drawn unerringly—over other greats like One Piece and Ooku—to the 28th volume of Skip Beat!. I think it says a lot about the series that it inspires such loyalty and genuine expectation so long into its run. Also, I have successfully gotten a coworker addicted. Muahaha!

MJ: I think we can all agree that Wandering Son is a must-buy. But since there will be much more of it to come, I’ll give my vote this week to a single volume release—the manga adaptation of Makoto Shinkai’s 5 Centimeters Per Second. I’m a fairly devoted fan of Shinkai’s work and vision, and as this adaptation is based on my very favorite of his films, it’s not a release I’m willing to miss. There are images from this melancholy film that are among my favorites in any medium—moments I carry with me day-to-day, even now. And while I expect I’ll find the manga’s strengths to be different than the film’s, it’s hard for me to imagine Vertical licensing this if it had no strengths at all. So, despite my usual skepticism over adaptations of this kind, I approach this manga optimistically.

BRIGID: Wow, so many good books to choose from! I’m loving Drops of God, so I’ll want vol. 4 of that, and I’ll be going for 5 cm too. But in the dog days of summer, I go for the simple pleasures, so my first choice this week will be vol. 1 of the Kitchen Princess omnibus. I’m ready for some sweet, sweet shoujo, and Kitchen Princess delivers, treading very familiar ground with the story of a cheerful orphan at an elite boarding school who solves everyone’s problems by cooking for them. It’s charming, funny, and broken up into short story arcs so I can pick it up and put it down whenever I like. Yeah, I’ve read it before, but summer is a good time for reruns, so bring it on!

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

Takehiko Inoue MMF Roundaup: Part Four

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It’s the fourth quarter, and your co-hosts have banded together to take you through the final stretch!

Anna joins me for a special Let’s Get Visual column dedicated to Inoue’s artwork, where we discuss pages from Real and Vagabond.

And speaking of Vagabond, we both weigh in on the series, with Anna tackling the two most recent VIZBIG editions to be released (nine and ten) and me checking out the first one. Ultimately, it looks like neither of us has found a new favorite over the course of the MMF, but we still both enjoyed branching out!

A big thank you once again to everyone who contributed and left comments. MJ of Manga Bookshelf will be hosting the next MMF, which will focus on works by CLAMP.

Vagabond, Vols. 1-3

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By Takehiko Inoue | Published by VIZ Media (first VIZBIG edition)

One of my goals for this Manga Moveable Feast was to finally read some of Vagabond. I’ve been collecting the VIZBIG editions since they started coming out, which means there were ten of these on my shelf (with their spines forming a group portrait) unread. Now that I finally have read some of Vagabond, I’ve found it so different from the Inoue I’m familiar with—and yet containing some of the same themes—that I’m rather at a loss for words.

Shinmen Takezo is the son of a legendary swordsman, though we don’t really find that out until volume three. Since the age of thirteen, when he killed a man who came to Miyamoto village looking to challenge its strongest occupant, he’s been ostracized by all save a couple of childhood friends and he’s recently been off to battle with one of them, Hon’iden Matahachi. They both survive a bloody battle, but Matahachi takes up with a thieving widow, leaving Takezo to return to Miyamoto with tidings of Matahachi’s survival.

To make a long story very short: Takezo meets with an unfriendly welcome and is manipulated by a clever monk named Takuan into reevaluating his life. Four years later, now going by the name Miyamoto Musashi, he shows up in Kyoto looking to challenge the head of the Yoshioka sword school, and though he defeats many of their members, he learns there are still those stronger than him. A drunken Matahachi accidentally sets the blaze that allows Musashi to escape, and the VIZBIG ends with him realizing that the old friend he left for dead might actually have survived.

Even though I knew this was about swordsmen, I somehow didn’t expect it to be as gory as it is. There are a lot of death blows being dealt here, as Musashi is obsessed with measuring/proving his strength against others and willing to sacrifice his life to this aim. That said, at times the art is absolutely gorgeous, and there are a few color pages that look like bona fide paintings. The scope, layout, and pacing of the story all lend it a cinematic feel that is genuinely impressive. There’s one scene early on, when Musashi turns around to face the one opponent left standing and it’s genuinely terrifying.

But yet, I mostly found it unaffecting. I expect there will be more insight into the main character as time progresses, but for now he’s so closed off, so proud of his strength and being hailed a demon that I can’t grow fond of him or endorse his goals. I have a feeling I’m not supposed to. I did identify with Matahachi a lot, though, especially his inferiority complex in regards to his friend and his inability to follow through with the heroic deeds he imagines himself performing. I like Otsu, the fiancée Matahachi left behind, and I’m intrigued by Takuan, the monk. I’ll keep reading for them, if nothing else.

One thing about Musashi reminds me a lot of Hisanobu Takahashi in Real. As a child, Hisanobu was attempting to master a particular basketball move that his father showed him. He worked very hard on it, but was never able to show his father because the latter abandoned the family. Musashi has also been abandoned by his mother and shunned by his father, and part of his drive to test himself seems due to the desire to show them his strength, show them that he doesn’t need to depend on anyone else. Musashi is a real historical figure, not a character Inoue created, but it seems like he’s drawn to these confident yet wounded types.

Ultimately, I can see why Vagabond is hailed as a masterpiece, and I will certainly keep reading it, but my heart will always belong to Inoue’s sports manga, Slam Dunk in particular. The heart wants what the heart wants!

Vagabond is published in English by VIZ Media. Single volumes up through 33 have been published, as well as ten “VIZBIG” editions comprised of three volumes each. An eleventh VIZBIG edition is scheduled to be released in December. Inoue has recently resumed the series in Japan, so the upcoming release of volume 34 (October) will be the first new Vagabond released in English in two years.

Let’s Get Visual: Takehiko Inoue

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MICHELLE: It’s been a while, but Let’s Get Visual has awoken from its hibernation in time to celebrate the Takehiko Inoue Manga Moveable Feast. Joining me for this occasion is special guest host Anna Neatrour, who is also co-hosting the MMF with me! Welcome, Anna!

ANNA: Thank you! I am excited to join in on a Let’s Get Visual post for Takehiko Inoue, because I think he is one of the top contemporary manga artists. He has an incredibly detailed and realistic style that really sets his manga apart from other series.

MICHELLE: I just started reading Vagabond the other day, and there was one close-up picture of Takezo drawn with extreme care and obvious skill, and I thought, “Y’know, this should be the image that all manga fans carry around to immediately dispel the misconceived notion that all manga looks alike and/or involves big, sparkly eyes.”

ANNA: I think that Inoue’s style (particularly in Real and Vagabond) is probably more reader-friendly to Western comics fans who haven’t read much manga before.

MICHELLE: Yeah, probably so. I’ve often thought that Western comic fans would probably like a bunch of seinen manga if they’d give it a chance.

Anyways, I suppose we should proceed to get visual! The images I’ve chosen are the very first pages in the very first volume of Real.

Real, Vol. 1 (VIZ Media)

I chose these images because they demonstrate how well Inoue is able to communicate Togawa’s character here without needing any words at all. Okay, sure, this guy is in a wheelchair, but he’s clearly driven. He’s pushing himself, possibly to the point of pain (if that’s what that one black panel represents). He has bulging muscles, so he’s clearly been at this a while. He’s moving fast. He may have a disability, but it doesn’t mean that he can’t take being an athlete seriously.

And then you turn the page and see that he is all alone. Inoue pulls back to show the entirety of the gym to emphasize Togawa’s solitude, and if that wasn’t enough, we get a glimpse of the empty school campus, as well. This sets the stage for what we later learn (which you mention in your review)—that Togawa’s attitude toward his wheelchair basketball team does not mesh well with his hobbyist teammates. Here’s a guy who is giving it his all, and he is the only one.

There’s just so much we can tell from this elegant introduction that it kind of blows me away.

ANNA: I agree that one of the things I like best about Inoue’s art is how much the images are able to contribute to the storytelling of his manga without overtly telling the audience anything. The themes touched on in the images you showed are addressed again later in the manga. Togawa’s ego and isolation contribute to his central struggle in the manga, and at the same time his willingness to practice all by himself shows just how dedicated he is to his sport.

MICHELLE: I will always, always be a big fan of nonverbal storytelling, so Inoue really wins my heart here by going above and beyond impressive art.

Want to tell us about the images you picked?

ANNA: The panels I chose were from Volume 26 of Vagabond, collected in the ninth VIZBIG edition of the series.

Vagabond, Vol. 26 (VIZ Media)

One of the reasons why I love Vagabond so much is that the fight scenes are never merely about two people fighting. There’s always a psychological or philosophical element involved. We see Miyamoto Musashi in a midst of battle against 70 members of the Yoshioka sword school, an ambush he willingly walked into. As he battles, he’s focused on centering himself and living in the moment. The close-up panels of his face show the process of self-reflection even as he is mowing down his opponents.

MICHELLE: That’s a really striking sequence. I like how he seems to be looking off into the horizon as he tells himself to have no aspirations for the future, as if to acknowledge the existence of other paths that he’s not allowing himself to take. Granted, I’ve not read the series that far—I’m barely on volume two—but it almost seems to me like he could walk away from this fight if he wanted to, but he’s not letting himself do it. Is that anywhere near the case?

ANNA: I don’t think Musashi is capable mentally of walking away from a fight like this. There are a lot of things that lead up to this sequence of many chapters where Musashi takes on the entire sword school, but one thing that struck me about the battle as a whole is that while you see Musashi getting beaten down and injured, towards the end Inoue almost has the reader concluding that it was really unfair to the 70 men who were planning on ambushing and attacking Musashi from behind that they had to go up against this one particular single opponent. Vagabond’s
fight scenes are always interesting, even when they stretch on for hundreds of pages, simply because the exquisitely rendered battles are contrasted with the internal struggles of the people who are fighting. Battle is as much of a mental exercise as it is a physical one.

MICHELLE: That’s an interesting point! So far I’ve only seen a few fights, and there hasn’t been much on Takezo’s (as Musashi is known at that point in the story) mental state yet. But I definitely admired the pacing and structure of Inoue’s artistic approach to battle—even watching Takezo just turn around and notice one opponent still standing becomes something frankly terrifying.

ANNA: One the things I enjoy about Vagabond is seeing the way Musashi changes over time. The man fighting the sword school in these panels has a measured sense of self and an inner stillness as he fights opponent after opponent. This is totally different from the way Takezo is portrayed in the earlier volumes, where he is more arrogant and animalistic.

MICHELLE: I definitely look forward to seeing how he gets from point A to point B. I admit, I still prefer Inoue’s sports-related series, but there’s just no denying that Vagabond is a masterpiece.

Thanks to everyone for reading, and we hope we’ve inspired you to check out some Inoue!

Takehiko Inoue MMF Roundup: Part Three

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What started as a trickle has become a steady stream as the Takehiko Inoue MMF begins drawing to a close!

At Experiments in Manga, Ash brown checks out the second Vagabond VIZBIG omnibus, particularly praising the way battles in the series have lasting repercussions for the characters.

At Manga Report, Anna digs into the past for highlights from the Inoue archive page.

Animemiz posts about Inoue’s artwork at the New York City Kinokuniya location.

At Manga Village, the gang collects a bunch of quotes in praise of Inoue’s Slam Dunk and Lori Henderson gives Vagabond a try but ultimately concludes it’s just not her thing.

Lastly, be sure to check out this really interesting article at Manga Therapy that ponders the notion of strength, as depicted in Vagabond.

My thanks to all the contributors!

Takehiko Inoue MMF Roundup: Part Two

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I’ve got a few more Inoue-riffic links to share with you today!

First up, Lori Henderson at Manga Village looks at volume 22 of Slam Dunk, the most recent volume to become available in English, and points out that this is one sports manga where the sport itself is perhaps more important than the typical shounen theme of striving for improvement.

Next, MJand I devoted last night’s Off the Shelf column to a discussion of Inoue’s seinen wheelchair basketball series, Real, which we pretty much rave about unreservedly.

Lastly, my lovely cohost Anna contributes another review (love the Peter Sellers reference in the title!), wherein she shares her thoughts on the first six volumes of Slam Dunk. You might recall from our introductory post that she had yet to try the series, but I am happy to report that she likes it! She also writes really good concluding paragraphs, like this one:

One of the reasons why I liked it so much is that there’s a general feeling of warmth that you get when reading this manga. Sakuragi is often made fun of, but he’s portrayed with affection. He even inspires a bit of grudging respect from his teammates as his basketball skills keep getting better. As a bonus, the reader also gets treated to a variety of ’90s fashions and hairstyles. Inoue’s enthusiasm and love for the game informs the manga, making it seem more personal and interesting than a shonen manga that is developed by committee with the aid of magazine polls. After reading Slam Dunk, I can understand why it was one of the top-selling manga in Japan. If you haven’t tried reading Slam Dunk yet, don’t be an idiot like me and wait for several years—just pick up a few volumes as soon as possible.

What she said!

Off the Shelf: Real

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MICHELLE: Good evening and welcome to a special installment of Off the Shelf. You might be aware that I am co-hosting (with Anna from Manga Report, who’s also a contributor to the Bringing the Drama column here at Manga Bookshelf) the Takehiko Inoue Manga Moveable Feast this week! And so, I have enlisted MJ’s participation so that we might devote this week’s column to Inoue’s seinen series, Real.

Inoue is most famous for Slam Dunk, a thoroughly shounen series about a delinquent who finds his way via basketball, and there are definitely some elements of that in Real. What’s different, however, is that two of the main protagonists are wheelchair-bound and the one able-bodied fellow draws his inspiration from seeing how hard disabled athletes work to achieve their goals.

MJ: I’m thrilled to be talking about this series, Michelle. It was my first exposure to Inoue, and my first experience with a manga series about sports that wasn’t created to fit the standard shounen formula.

Should we talk about the main characters a bit?

MICHELLE: Sure! Actually, I think Anna summed up their personalities very well in her review, so I am just going to quote her, if that’s okay!

Real centers on three main protagonists. Tomomi Nomiya is a wanna-be tough guy who is a bit of an outcast at school even though he is on the basketball team. He was involved in a motorcycle accident that paralyzed his passenger, a girl named Natsumi whom he had just picked up randomly. Hisanobu Takahashi is the arrogant new basketball captain who is about to experience something that will change his life forever. Kiyoharu Togawa is an elite athlete who had most of one leg taken off due to a childhood brush with cancer. His driven personality isn’t a good match with the hobbyists on his wheelchair basketball team.

That’s how we find them at the beginning of the series, and as the story progresses, they inspire each other (and others) in seemingly infinite ways while each struggling to find and pursue their own path. Ultimately, for each of them, basketball turns out to be that path, but this is definitely far from being your typical sports manga.

MJ: I think “far from being your typical sports manga” is really key here. Even, as you say, when these characters serve as inspiration, there’s no heroic glow carrying the story forward. Their pain and their disappointments are real, and not easily banished by fine speeches or awe-inspiring action scenes. Real is not afraid to get into the real darkness its protagonists fall into at various points in the story, nor does it gloss over their wrongs. Real is unforgiving, much like life.

MICHELLE: The plight of Hisanobu Takahashi, the aforementioned arrogant guy, best illustrates what you’re talking about, I think. Here’s a guy, obsessed with comparing himself to others, who becomes paralyzed as a result of being hit by a truck while fleeing on a stolen bicycle. Inoue relentlessly takes us through his ups and downs, hopes that bubble up and are quickly dashed, and doesn’t try to artificially improve Hisanobu’s attitude overnight. There are encounters that buoy him for a while, a rivalry with Nomiya that motivates him, but he’s in a fragile state and can still be sent spiraling down by the sight of a seeming weakling who is better at physical rehab than he is.

It’s as if Inoue is saying, “You can borrow some strength from others, but in the end, it’s all up to you to follow through.”

MJ: Takahashi’s is perhaps the most interesting journey to me, I think because Inoue doesn’t let him off the hook for anything, so when he does achieve small successes, they really feel earned. Though I also like the fact that Nomiya is traveling what could be considered an impossible path (to become a professional player). I admit I’m really anxious to see where that goes in the end.

MICHELLE: Me, too. I desperately hope he is able to make the pro team, and that’s what I’ve been groomed to expect from my years of loving sports manga, but I’m faced with the very real possibility that Inoue will depict him not making it and being shattered by the experience. I really love Nomiya very much, and one of my favorite scenes is where he’s just lost his job after trying so hard at it, and he really needs to see Togawa’s wheelchair basketball team, The Tigers, achieve their dream after putting in so much effort. They don’t, however, and I wonder what sort of blow it’ll be to him if he also fails. I feel as though I’m watching a friend put their everything into something that might not pan out, so I root for them but also I worry.

MJ: Of course, that’s part of what makes this series work so well. Both volumes nine and ten acquired some vaguely shounen tendencies, with a lot of (from my review of volume 10) “grand declarations, gritty determination, and talk of achieving one’s dreams,” but even then, there’s no sense that this will necessarily happen.

MICHELLE: But, you know, I still can’t loving those moments. If there is any one drawback to Real, it’s that I kept expecting them to, like, all join the same team and get awesome together and beat their rivals. But it takes until volume ten for Hisanobu to remember his one encounter with Togawa, the basketball badass in a wheelchair, and realize “I could do that.”

Not that I’m complaining, of course, because so much of his journey is learning how to really work for something again, which he hasn’t done since he was a kid, essentially on account of his father abandoning the family.

Y’know… we haven’t seen any of Nomiya’s childhood yet, have we? We’ve seen some of Togawa’s and quite a lot of Hisanobu’s, but none of Nomiya’s. We just hear about his mother bringing back sweets from her various trips.

MJ: You know, that’s a good point. It’s been a while since I looked at early volumes, but I don’t recall that we have. Perhaps that’s yet to come.

Actually, I realize now that with volumes 9 and 10 freshest in my mind, I’ve let Togawa go a little bit. With Takahashi’s and Nomiya’s stories really hitting their stride, Togawa’s hasn’t been quite as much front-and-center as of late.

MICHELLE: No, it hasn’t. But it was certainly getting lovely there for a bit, with the introduction of Ryo, a sullen disabled teen, who is inspired by Togawa just as a young Togawa was by Tora, the original founder of the Tigers. And the beauty of it all is that Togawa has no idea that he’s become such a figure for this kid. We’ve heard a lot about the history of the Tigers, how it went from Tora’s era, to Yama’s (a friend of Togawa whose physical condition is deteriorating rapidly), to Togawa’s. I’m sure it’ll be Ryo’s era after that. I delight in seeing this familiar character through fresh eyes, while we’ve become entirely accustomed to his various faults. Inoue sure is adept at introducing new/secondary characters who immediately become integral to the story.

MJ: That’s true! I’m currently quite enamored with Hara-sensei, Takahashi’s badass… uh, physical therapist? I guess that’s what she probably she, but without any of the touchy-feely Florence Nighiengale-y images that might normally spring forth.

MICHELLE: I also like his two friends in rehab, who are challenging his notions of ranks and worth. There’s Shiratori, the famous wrestler, who is actually behind where Takahashi is in his recovery, and then there’s Hanamaki, the scrawny otaku, who is farther along than both of them, but who yet is a major Shiratori fanboy. Supporting each of the three protagonists are people who can help them change and find their way, including a couple of intriguing female characters that I wish we got to learn more about.

MJ: It’s true, the series’ female characters seem to come and go rather quickly. I’m particularly interested in Azumi, Togawa’s childhood friend who also manages the Tigers. There’s a favorite scene of mine in volume 10, where she must indignantly remind Togawa that she has goals and dreams as well.

MICHELLE: The pair of them actually remind me a little of the main character and his sidekick in Drops of God, but Azumi seems to be more complicated than her counterpart, which I appreciate.

One thing we haven’t yet touched upon is Inoue’s art in Real, which is pretty damned awesome. He excels at both action and expression, but some of my favorite sequences are more fanciful, like when Hisanobu and Nomiya engage in a mutual daydream about what would’ve happened had they been present for their high school team’s final game.

MJ: I become impressed all over again by how expressive Inoue’s artwork is with every new volume. The series has a gritty, realistic look to it, but there’s such life on the page! In volume ten, page 148, there’s a tear running down Shiratori’s otherwise mostly covered face, and it’s the most oddly expressive, moving, not even remotely beautiful tear I’ve ever seen. It has none of that graceful mono no aware sensibility that tear-shedding moments so often have. In fact, it could just as easily be a trickle of sweat. But to see it on this huge man’s covered face is just… kind of stunning.

MICHELLE: It’s art that really serves the characters instead of merely being technically proficient. The first few pages of the first volume stunned me, because in that opening sequence you learn practically all you need to know about Togawa. In fact, I plan to discuss them in greater depth in a Let’s Get Visual column this weekend.

Another great thing about Real is that it feels far from over! We’ve talked about Nomiya’s impossible-seeming goal, but Togawa also wants to make it to the Paralympics, so perhaps the series, in sports manga fashion, will end there? I admit that would be very satisfying, but I don’t know that we should expect it.

MJ: It’s really impossible to guess! Like you, I’d love to see all three characters achieve their dreams (and in spectacular, shounen-style fashion) but I’m not making any bets!

MICHELLE: Well, volume eleven is due in November, so perhaps there’ll be a little closer to their goals at that point!

MJ: I can’t wait!

Reviews of Real at Manga Bookshelf: Real, Vol. 10 (MJ), Real, Vol. 9 (MJ), Real, Vols. 1-8 (MJ), Real, Vols. 1-4 (Kate), Real, Vol. 10 (Kate)

Takehiko Inoue MMF Roundup: Part One

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The Takehiko Inoue MMF is underway and submissions are beginning to come in! I’ve got three of them to share this morning.

First up is a post from Matt at Matt Talks About Manga , where he talks about the first VIZBIG collection of Vagabond, comprising the first three volumes of the series. I have to admit that my favorite quote is, “The art. Oh, God, the art. It’s beyond fantastic.”

Next up is Ash at Experiments in Manga, who looks at the first two volumes of Inoue’s Slam Dunk for the My Week in Manga column.

Lastly, my cohost Anna checks out the first five volumes of Real at her site, Manga Report. She’s written the post as a volume-by-volume synopsis, pointing out the particular highlights of each, but my favorite observations are right at the end:

While Real centers around the wheelchair basketball world, it uses that setting as a way of exploring the underlying psychological issues of the protagonists. Nomiya desperately searches for a form of redemption. Hisanobu’s toxic habits of personality and thought patterns threaten to derail his rehabilitation. While there is no question that Togawa has the drive and personality to be an elite athlete, his lack of people skills while playing a team sport might threaten his bright future. Real is just an absolutely gripping manga, and I know I’m going to be seeking out the remaining translated volumes of the series as soon as possible.

Thanks to all contributors! And remember, if you want to participate… the MMF is running through June 30th and you can email me (swanjun at gmail dot com) with links to your submission!

BL Bookrack: June 2012

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Welcome to the June installment of BL Bookrack! This month, Michelle takes a look at Honey Darling, a rare print release from SuBLime Manga, while MJchecks out Juné’s recent reprinting of fan favorite Only the Ring Finger Knows. In Brief: Kaoru Kun from the Digital Manga Guild, and an early look at The Young Protectors from Yaoi 911.


Honey Darling | By Norikazu Akira | Published by SuBLime | Rated Mature – In a word, Honey Darling is “adorable.” So adorable, in fact, that I am perfectly willing to forget the few minor quibbles I have with it.

Chihiro Takahashi is a young man “just drifting through life.” He doesn’t have any goals or aspirations, and he’s never had a serious relationship. When he happens past an abandoned kitten, however, he can’t just ignore her, and ends up becoming a well-intentioned, if uninformed, pet owner. When the kitty (Shiro) develops a cold, a frantic Chihiro takes to the streets where he conveniently runs into Daisuke Kumazawa, gruff but kind veterinarian. Kumazawa gives Chihiro a stern lecture about the responsibilities of pet ownership, and after Chihiro tears up at the enormity of his error, offers him a job as a live-in housekeeper, saying, “You’d be like… my wife.”

I was fully prepared for Chihiro to be incompetent at the tasks assigned, but he actually does a good job and works hard. Over time, he decides that he’d like to become a veterinary nurse. And really, it’s the amount of weight given to this plot point that really makes me love Honey Darling. Sure, a romance is slowly developing between Chihiro and Kumazawa, but the story reads like the main point of it all is Chihiro finding a place where he belongs, and discovering something to be passionate about. And that will always, always be my favorite plot ever, no matter how many times I read it.

There’s no crazy, out-of-left-field drama in Honey Darling. Sure, it’s not the most realistic thing ever, but it’s sweet and cute and cheery. I’m not fond of Daisuke referring to menial labor as the wifely role, true, and the character designs are a little bland, but I enjoyed this oneshot very much and honestly wish there were more of it.

– Review by Michelle Smith


Only the Ring Finger Knows | By Satoru Kannagi & Hotaru Odagiri | Published by Juné | Rated YA – What makes a romance story work? This was the question most on my mind as I breathlessly finished Only the Ring Finger Knows, a sort of neo-classic BL manga (based on a popular light novel series) which was originally released in English in 2004—three full years before I began reading manga, and long before I started reading in the boys’ love genre. It’s been out of print for some time, but with the final volume of the light novel series due for release this fall, DMP has reprinted the manga, allowing latecomers like me to finally join the party. And what a lovely party it is.

The setup is typical of standard high school romance. There’s a fad sweeping through Wataru’s high school, in which students indicate their relationship status by the placement of (sometimes matching) rings on their fingers. Various configurations indicate friendship, availability, or (of course) love. When Wataru discovers that his own ring (bought on a whim) matches that of a popular upperclassman, Yuichi Kazuki, the situation is primarily annoying, as every girl in school wants to know where he got his ring. Furthermore, Kazuki himself is inexplicably hostile to Wataru, though he seems to be kind to everyone else.

Of course this is BL, so we know that all signs point to love, but as with all romance, the story’s success depends on its execution, and here’s where my opening question comes up again. What makes a romance story work? I’ve stated many criteria in the past, including compelling characters, believable relationship development, emotional truth, blah blah blah, but what is it really that makes the difference between a perfectly pleasant tale of romance and the kind that sweeps us away completely, filling our hearts with joy and a sweet, sweet anxiety that lingers long after we’ve turned the last page?

I tend to be a big-picture thinker, but in this case, I suspect that the devil is in the details. Within this questionably original setup, it’s the little things that matter. The tilt of a chin, a hurried glance, the tentative movement of a hand—these are the details that accent the story’s most significant emotional beats. With these perfect details, the tension between Wataru and Kazuki is thick and volatile from the start, far ahead of Wataru’s own understanding of what’s happening in his own heart and mind. The combination of intense interest and awkwardness between the two main characters seems so real, to continue reading almost feels like an intrusion. It’s painfully delicate and honestly breathtaking in a way that only romance can be, and to a great extent, it’s reminded me why I like the genre so much in the first place.

Satoru Kannagi’s original light novel is no longer in print in English, but as much as I’d like to read it, I must admit that Hotaru Odagiri’s expressive artwork does so much of the heavy lifting here, it’s difficult to imagine the story playing out so gracefully in prose. If, like me, you missed Only the Ring Finger Knows the first time around, don’t let this reprinting pass you by. Joyfully recommended.

– Review by MJ

In Brief:

Kaoru Kun | By Suguro Chayamachi | Digital Manga Guild | Rated YA – Most regular readers of Manga Bookshelf are by now pretty familiar with my personal tastes in BL, including a penchant for what I once described as “quiet/ideosyncratic character studies.” Kaoru Kun fits that description to a T, while also proving that this alone is not enough—or perhaps that not enough is not enough. The volume starts strong as mangaka Suguro Chayamichi introduces Kaoru, an abused, neglected child desperately searching for affection wherever he can find it. Later chapters check in with Kaoru as his life improves and he learns to let his naturally gentle nature heal the wounds of others. Unfortunately, just three chapters in, Chayamachi (or her publisher) drops the ball, abandoning the character we’ve learned to care so much for in favor of several unrelated stories that fail to fill the gap left by his absence. Though the result is ultimately unsatisfying, Kaoru’s unfinished story is still worth reading. Hesitantly recommended. – MJ

The Young Protectors | By Alex Woolfson, Adam DeKraker, & Veronica Gandini | Yaoi 911 – Probably the greatest weakness in Alex Woolfson’s otherwise terrific sci-fi webcomic Artifice is the author’s decision to shortchange his characters’ relationship development in order to get to the juicy bits. In his new comic, The Young Protectors, Woolfson accelerates this further by putting one of those bits right up front, but perhaps with better results. As the series opens, a young superhero is caught emerging from his first trip to a gay bar by a hunky supervillain, leading fairly quickly into a semi-coerced makeout session that *just* manages to avoid feeling unforgiveably creepy by the fact that it reads more like the boy’s fantasy than anything else. In another author’s hands, starting with that kind of hormone-heavy fantasy might read like an intro to plotless porn, but in this case it seems likely that we’re in for something deeper, and perhaps by getting some of this out of the way from the get-go, Woolfson will feel at leisure to take more time with the good stuff. I’m optimistic, and you should be too. Check it out. – MJ

Review copies provided by the publishers.

Disclosure: MJ is currently under contract with Digital Manga Publishing’s Digital Manga Guild, as necessitated for her ongoing report Inside the DMG. Any compensation earned by MJin her role as an editor with the DMG will be donated to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Other recent BL reviews from MJ & Michelle: Honey Darling (SuBLime)

Bookshelf Briefs 6/18/12

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This week, Sean, MJ, and Michelle look at recent releases from Kodansha Comics, VIZ Media, and Vertical, Inc.

Fairy Tail, Vol. 19 | By Hiro Mashima | Kodansha Comics – I suspect that this arc will wrap up in the next volume, which is good. Of course, that means that this volume is all fighting, which is bad. Not that it makes for a bad volume, it’s just harder to know what to say about it. Our heroes get an assist from the Blue Pegasus Guild, who arrive to tell everyone how to defeat the bad guy. Jellal starts to remember some things – particularly Natsu hating him, which is sort of amusing. And Erza gets to kick ass, which is probably the main reason anyone reads Fairy Tail. There’s a cute little short story right near the end which shows Lucy putting Fairy Tail over love, to no one’s surprise. Overall, though, it’s a fighting volume, so sit back and watch the punches and magic as we crawl closer to a climax. –Sean Gaffney

A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 3 | By Miyoshi Tomori | VIZ Media – Certain situations in stories (no matter the medium) never fail to make me feel antsy, and right at the top is “misunderstandings that could be cleared up by communication,” followed closely by “no no no, don’t trust that girl, something terrible is going to happen!” The third volume of A Devil and Her Love Song had me on edge because both elements are in play, as a superficially sunny student returns to class and proceeds to make herself appear to be Maria’s victim. One really does feel for Maria throughout, as she is honestly confused, and there are some great scenes where she gets support from the three friends she has thus far managed to make. Maria may be prickly, but she’s always honest and never fake, and this volume really makes it clear how much potential she has to be a truly fabulous friend. Heartily recommended. – Michelle Smith

The Earl and the Fairy, Vol. 2 | By Mizue Tani and Ayuko | VIZ Media – This volume of EaF is a bit darker than the first one, and there seems to be an air of melancholy about the whole thing. When one of our protagonists betrays Edgar, he seems less surprised than simply resigned. Unfortunately, we still don’t have a lot of his backstory yet. Which, while it adds to the air of mystery around him, makes him hard to take seriously as an ‘antagonist’. He’s not really bad enough for Lydia to be doubting him as much as she is, so we just end up frustrated with her. That said, the volume’s climax, with Lydia displaying some amazing gumption *and* cleverly resolving the whole ‘title’ thing, is well-handled, and actually makes the rewards feel earned. The volume ends with a brief tease for the future two volumes, but it also marks a good stopping place for those who find this series OK, but not great. –Sean Gaffney

GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, Vol. 3 | By Toru Fujisawa | Vertical, Inc. – It’s no secret that the first two volumes of GTO: 14 Days in Shonan were an unexpected success with me, so it should be no surprise that I had a similar experience with the third. Onizuka continues to be my new favorite shounen anti-hero even when he’s creepy, which is certainly the case in this volume. Thankfully, Onizuka’s creepiness is easily trumped by his badass brand of insightful compassion, though it’s worth mentioning that this volume’s most poignant moments belong to the White Swan kids themselves, whose tragic histories are laid out for us with honesty and true pathos. Less successful is a middle chapter revolving around the White Swan’s perverted headmaster, rendered tolerable only by its brevity. Fortunately, no amount of questionably tasteful vagina metaphors can cancel out this series’ general awesomeness. Still recommended. – MJ

Pick of the Week: Abundance

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MJ: There’s quite a bit manga on its way to Midtown Comics this week, but despite the wide range of tasty-looking titles, making my pick is astonishingly easy. Natsume Ono’s House of Five Leaves is one of my very favorite titles currently running, and a new volume of that trumps nearly anything else the industry could put before me. I love this series’ idiosyncratic artwork, its passive protagonist, its ambiguous morality, and its meandering style. For me, this series is always a must-buy.

KATE: I second MJ’s recommendation; House of Five Leaves is my favorite Natsume Ono manga (it beats out Ristorante Paradiso by a whisker), and I never miss an opportunity to sing its praises. The other series on my mind this week is Alice in the Country of Hearts, which Yen Press rescued from licensing purgatory. I missed out on Alice when Tokyopop was publishing it, so I’m grateful for the opportunity to read it without bankrupting myself or resorting to scans. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this title’s shojolicious riff on Alice in Wonderland, so I go into the new two-in-one editions with high hopes.


MICHELLE: I’ll cast my vote for Yen Press’s license rescue of Alice in the Country of Hearts, which is hitting stores complete in three omnibus editions. Yes, I’ve read it already, but I had to rely on a somewhat dodgy translation for the final volume, so I’m looking forward to checking it out and seeing whether it makes any more sense (hopefully!) when handled by professionals!

SEAN: I know very little about Olympos other than that it’s a josei manga from Ichijinsha, and is apparently about Apollo and Ganymede. It’s always fascinating to see how Japan handles Western mythology, and the art for this series looks absolutely gorgeous. (The author also did Utahime, which DMP has.) It’s also nice to get a manga that’s complete in one, which this is, by virtue of it being an omnibus collecting both Japanese volumes. But I have to say, in a week which already features a lot of high-minded and worthy manga, Olympos simply looks *classy*. Looking forward to it.

BRIGID: Well, you guys grabbed the obvious choices, so let me chime in with a recommendation for a manga that is near the end of its run: Vol. 32 of Kekkaishi. I have only started reading this series, but what I have read I have liked a lot—it’s a shonen battle manga with a lot of personality. It has the usual ingredients—teenage boy with special powers, girl who is a childhood friend—but it also has some nice quirks (the main character longs to be a pastry chef) and the art is clear and easy to follow—even the fight scenes, which often lose me in shonen manga. It’s hard to jump in over 30 volumes into a series, but Viz has started issuing the earlier volumes as 3-in-1 omnibus editions, and the first 27 volumes are also available digitally. It’s a nice alternative if you’re just in the mood for some straight-up shonen manga.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

Off the Shelf: Full of surprises

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MICHELLE: Hey, MJ! What does a vegan zombie eat?

MJ: I don’t know, Michelle. What *does* a vegan zombie eat?

MICHELLE: Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaains!

MJ: You know, my husband actually predicted that one just now after I told him. :D

MICHELLE: Good job, hubby!

MJ: So, whose turn is it to start this week? Mine? Yours? I’m all turned around.

MICHELLE: I think it’s mine.

So, to start with… I wanted to talk about volumes 40 and 41 of Tite Kubo’s Bleach. You might wonder, “What else is there to say about Bleach at this point?” Well, I suppose what I have to say boils down to, “It’s actually kind of interesting again!”

There were definitely some volumes in this Hueco Mundo arc that were rather dull, but now that it feels we’re actually getting somewhere, I find that I’m pretty entertained. I still don’t care much at all about Ichigo, but I like his companions (Uryu and Orihime, most notably) and several of the Soul Reaper captains, who have also joined in the fighting. Plotwise, it’s your typical shounen fare—wherein people with special powers fight to protect those they care about—but it’s got momentum, it’s got a few themes that remind me of Angel (our friend occasionally becomes a monster but we will bring him back to himself), and it’s got some pretty striking visuals.

I think Tite Kubo must’ve had a lot of fun drawing these chapters, and also was probably in a fairly grisly mood, as the fights are easier to follow than normal and involve an excessive amount of limb loss. It’s shocking each time it happens, but still not quite as gross as what happened to Rangiku a couple of volumes ago thanks to the most genuinely terrifying manga monster critter I’ve ever seen.

Possibly I am not being critical enough. Bleach clearly has a lot of faults, chief among them that this whole Hueco Mundo arc is basically just a retread of the Soul Society arc. But I enjoyed these two volumes and look forward to the next pair, which will be here next month! In fact, we’ll be getting two new volumes of Bleach each month through December, which will bring us up to volume 53, just two behind Japan. A pretty smart move by VIZ, methinks.

MJ: Well, and is there really a point to being critical of Bleach anymore? Yes, it’s repetitive, and yes, it stopped having much new to do or say many volumes ago, but there are reasons we keep reading it. I find it interesting that we’re basically reading for the same two characters (Orihime and Uryu) along with some of the other Soul Reapers (I’m partial to Yumichika and Ikkaku, for various reasons), and we cling to these loyalties and to the bits of enjoyable characterization that still crop up from time to time.

MICHELLE: Exactly. I like Yumichika too, incidentally, and was happy to see him and Hisagi again. The fact that they’re both bishounen has a lot to do with that, I must admit.

Anyway, enough fangirling. What have you been reading this sweek?

MJ: Well, my first selection for the evening is the debut volume of Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama, due out in a week or so from Kodansha Comics. I will admit that I had low expectations going into this volume, based mainly on its cover art, of all things. When it arrived, I took it over to my husband, showed it to him, and said, “So does this look like my kind of manga?” He agreed that it decidedly did not, and I really had to force myself to pick it up later to actually read. And I’m glad that I pushed myself to do so, because as it turns out, Attack on Titan is my kind of manga after all.

So, the premise! The world has been overtaken by man-eating giants called Titans, and for the past one hundred years, what is left of the human race has been isolated in a single city, protected from the Titans by a series of three circular walls. The most powerful citizens (including the city’s king) live within the innermost wall, with everyone else spread out in neighborhoods within the more vulnerable outer walls.

As the story opens, the city’s garrison has become complacent, with no real threat coming from the Titans outside, thanks to the city’s very tall walls. Meanwhile, the few humans who venture outside the walls—the “survey corps”—are regularly massacred by the Titans. These people are generally considered to be fools. Why risk their lives, when they’re so safe and comfortable in their self-made prison?

Our hero, a young boy named Eren, dreams of joining the survey corps—an idea his family thoroughly rejects. But it isn’t long before a huge Titan manages to break through the wall, destroying Eren’s family life and leading him towards that dangerous path anyway. I won’t reveal more here, for fear of spoiling you, but suffice it to say that mankind’s one hundred years of relative peace and seclusion are pretty much over.

As I said, I enjoyed this volume, though it does have its weak points. While it seems clear that there are some characters here who will eventually be great, they aren’t great yet, and the opening chapters feel a bit sluggish and shallow because of that. Isayama also has a habit of creating a lot of small, single-face panels (especially when characters are arguing), which diminishes the tension of several scenes and makes them somewhat awkward to read. Furthermore, I found many of the action shots to be difficult to follow.

On the other hand, there’s a lot of really compelling stuff here, and regardless of any issues I might have had, I left the volume feeling anxious for more. Isayama’s world-building is genuinely intriguing, and though the volume ends on a fairly dark note, it plays as exciting rather than simply grim.

MICHELLE: Interesting! It actually kind of reminds me of Battlestar Galactica, in that “we think we’re safe because they haven’t OMG we’re most of us dead now!” kind of way.

MJ: That’s a good point! It does have that vibe, though without the spectacular characterization. But I’m hopeful that will develop here, too.

So, what else have you got for us this week?

MICHELLE: Actually, I had a very similar experience with the first volume of Until Death Do Us Part! I didn’t really think it wasn’t my type of manga, but I certainly didn’t know anything about it and was a little dubious about the premise. I admit that I haven’t quite finished the chunky omnibus (comprising the first two volumes of the Japanese release) but it’s very intriguing so far!

The story begins when a blind guy (whom we later learn is named Mamoru), testing out some tech that projections 3D renderings of his surroundings onto his retina, is hailed as a savior by a girl (Haruka) who has been held captive by yakuza types because she possesses precognitive abilities that allow her to win the lottery a bunch of times. Turns out, he’s a swordsman with a special molecule-cutting katana (naturally), and saves her, beats up the yakuza, etc. So far, so standard.

What’s really neat is that this whole time, Mamoru’s communicating with someone back at headquarters, and it turns out the two of them are part of a vigilante group called the “element network.” This group has been put together by the victims of crimes—funded by wealthy ones, supplied with gadgets by scientific ones…—and recruited Mamoru to be its agent. While he’s out and about, they observe his video feed to make sure he stays within crime-hunting parameters.

True, we’ve not learned much about the characters so far, but the premise is nifty enough to sustain me! Plus, I like the art (by DOUBLE-S). It’s not terrifically unique, but the fight scenes are easy to follow (yes, this is another manga with swords and blood and tendon-slicing) and the character designs distinct. I’m looking forward to seeing how this develops.

MJ: You know, I’m really glad you brought this book to the table this week, because I kind of had decided that it wasn’t my kind of manga, and you’ve encouraged me to reconsider. That actually sounds like a lot of fun.

MICHELLE: I’m glad you think so! I mean, again, I have no idea where the story is going from here and, like you, have no idea if deeper characterization will emerge, but it’s definitely got potential.

What else have ya got?

MJ: Standing in stark contrast against my first title for the evening, this week I also read Norikazu Akira’s Honey Darling from Viz Media’s new BL imprint, SuBLime. I don’t think it would have been possible for me to choose something less like Attack on Titan than Honey Darling, and I’m surprised to have liked them both.

As I mentioned in Monday’s Pick of the Week, as happy as I am to see Viz taking on the BL market, I have to admit that their titles so far have not been at all to my taste. Even the surprisingly delightful Oku-san’s Daily Fantasies is, fundamentally, everything I like least about BL manga (unless you count Love Pistols, which is apparently everything I like even less). So when I was greeted by a cover featuring one angry looking dude alongside a very feminine-looking dude in cat ears, I was not optimistic. I’m not even sure I would have opened the book at all had the cover not also featured an actual (really cute) cat as well.

Nor does this manga have a promising start. Carefree drifter Chihiro, on his way home from his low-pressure job in a casino, finds an abandoned kitten on the street and impulsively takes her home. Of course, he quickly finds himself in over his head as the kitten becomes ill, and he ends up wandering the streets aimlessly, asking strangers for directions to the nearest animal hospital. Fortunately for him, one of these strangers turns out to be Kumazawa, a handsome, broody guy who also happens to be a veterinarian. Kumazawa takes Chihiro and the cat back to his clinic and scolds Chihiro for not being a responsible pet owner, at which point Chihiro starts to cry, leading Kumazawa to suddenly offer him a job… as his “wife.”

As you might imagine, my confidence in Honey Darling plummeted even further at this point. Yet somehow, by the end of the next chapter, I was completely won over.

Though this story strays not even a little bit from standard BL ridiculousness (including all the maddening seme/uke business), it somehow also manages to be really, really charming. Chihiro and Kumazawa’s relationship develops slowly and sweetly, and though everything is just a bit too easy and pat, it’s so warm and dear, it hardly matters. Akira’s characters are a pleasure to get to know, and by the end, I was wishing I could spend yet more time with them. And despite the cat-eared cover, the story’s humor lands just right as well, achieving genuine chuckles without descending into camp.

Honey Darling may not ever become a long-standing favorite, but it was certainly a pleasure.

MICHELLE: That’s good to know! I feel that you’ve encouraged me in kind to try something I might otherwise have been dubious about!

MJ: It’s an evening of surprises all around, I guess!

MICHELLE: Perhaps this would be a good time to tell you that I’m really a man.

MJ: *faints*

Pick of the Week: Of Mice and Men

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KATE: I’d be the first to admit that Honey Darling is silly. The plot hinges on the kind of illogical behavior and improbable coincidences that a first-semester film student would know better than to include in his script. (The nadir is a scene in which one character runs into the street asking strangers where the nearest animal clinic is. Hasn’t he heard of directory assistance? Or Google, for that matter?) If you can look past the contrivances, however, what you’ll discover is a sweet story with a good heart and a good sense of humor, in which two impossibly handsome guys fall in love with each other. Fans of smutty manga may be disappointed, as all the heavy breathing takes place in the final chapter, but readers who like a more straightforward romance will find Honey Darling agreeable.

MJ: I must say, I’m with Kate this week. I’ll admit there haven’t been a lot of titles for me to love in SuBLime’s lineup so far, which is to say that they’ve simply been Not to My Taste. I have been won over by a couple of books, however, and they’ve been the ones I least expected to enjoy—first Oku-San’s Daily Fantasies and now Honey Darling. It is silly, just as Kate says, and there’s nothing truly remarkable in its fairly conventional BL premise, but it’s a lovely example of sweet, sincere romance that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Simply put, Honey Darling is a pleasure to read.

MICHELLE: I’m also aboard the BL bandwagon, but I’m once again recommending Kazuma Kadoka’s Kizuna, which is seeing the release of its sixth and I think final volume. Kizuna was actually released in English before, by long-defunct CPM, but that publisher never got around to publishing the last volume. Though DMP repackaged the first ten, already-released volumes in two-in-one omnibus editions, they’ve left this final one as a standalone, meaning that all the folks who didn’t rebuy the series can just snap this one up! Pretty considerate, actually! Anyway, this BL story (with plenty of yakuza) has been a pleasure to read and I look forward to seeing how it all ends.

SEAN: Honestly, there’s nothing this week that screams Pick of the Week for me. So I will move away from manga and go with the 3rd collection of Floyd Gottfredson’s comic strips, Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Vol. 3: High Noon at Inferno Gulch. These volumes have been a revelation, showing a generation who had only seen the dull, squeaky clean corporate Mickey exactly why he was the darling of the 1930s. Pure rollicking high-adventure, they’re also filled with background material and essays by cartoon scholars such as editor David Gerstein. A must for any cartoon fan collection.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

Bookshelf Briefs 6/10/12

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This week, MJ, Sean, Kate, and Michelle look at recent releases from VIZ Media and JManga.

Bakuman, Vol. 11 | By Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata | VIZ Media – I’ve always considered Bakuman to be a manga made up of pretty much equal parts “awesome” and “maddening,” and if that’s a decent description of the series as a whole, it’s especially applicable to volume eleven. In the category of “maddening,” we have the usual tiresome offenses against feminism—specifically the further domestication of Kaya, Takagi’s spunky but unambitious young wife, and the over-the-top vilification of Aiko Akina, the talented young writer who was first introduced as a girl too smart to be attractive to men. In the “awesome” column, on the other hand, is basically everything else, especially ongoing rivalry between our heroes and Eiji Nizuma and the artistry it elicits from both sides. By the end of the volume, even Akina is finally beginning to be portrayed as a worthwhile rival instead of the jealous harpy she’s been painted as all along. Overall, I’d probably call it a win. YMMV. – MJ

A Devil And Her Love Song, Vol. 3 | By Miyoshi Tomori | VIZ Media – It’s becoming pretty clear that we’re in for the long haul as regards Maria being bullied, and this volume seems to continue the pattern of her winning over the class one by one. That said, ‘winning over’ is not the same thing as it was with Tomoyo or our two male love interests. Maria has genuine problems interacting with others, and even if you admire her ability to tell folks the truth straight up, you have to acknowledge it. The maskless Maria in this volume goes up against another girl who is putting up a facade, and is just as intolerant of it. I enjoyed the author’s depiction of the crush Hana has on Yusuke – it’s all about the awkward and childish, with very little ‘we were meant to be from the start. Plus, of course, it helps keep the romantic triangle involving Maria alive. – Sean Gaffney

Fluffy, Fluffy Cinnamoroll, Vol. 4 | Story & Art by Yumi Tsukirino, Original Concept by Chisato Seki | VIZ Media – I feel like a grinch for not succumbing to the charms of this Sanrio series, but Fluffy, Fluffy Cinnamoroll has all the warmth of a Transformers comic: it’s a slick, synthetic story in which the real aim is selling products, not creating memorable characters or representing real emotions. The second half of volume four is particularly egregious, as it focuses on the “girl” puppies’ efforts to become pop idols and date celebrities. There’s no doubt that tween girls fantasize about being famous, but the the stories are so neatly resolved that only the least discerning ten-year-old will find them convincing. About the best I can say for volume four is that the first batch of stories — in which the entire gang gets into the crepe-making business — are moderately amusing, as Cinnamoroll’s forest-dwelling neighbors ask for unusual fillings; the raccoons and chickens are a good foil for the prissy, sweets-eating pups. The rest of volume four suffers from their absence. – Katherine Dacey

Gokudou Meshi, Vol. 2 | Shigeru Tsuchiyama | JManga – I was really looking forward to the second volume of Gokudou Meshi and it didn’t disappoint, but that’s because I knew what to expect: tales of simple fare told by a nearly indistinguishable cast of inmates sitting around their cell in a Japanese prison. The food featured in this volume includes instant ramen, katsudon, spaghetti, and even canned pineapple juice. We also see the storytelling tradition spread from the original room 204 to room 307, at which point it becomes apparent that there’s absolutely nothing to be gained in trying to keep track of the characters, because they are utterly unimportant. Gokudou Meshi has stripped away the things that are not essential (plot, characters…) and instead focuses solely on the food. It’s a formula that works for me, though, and one that’s not unaffecting—now I need to find a place in town with good katsudon! – Michelle Smith

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 9 | By Hiroshi Hiibashi | VIZ Media – If you like shonen battles and you like yokai, there’s plenty to enjoy here. Rikuo trains in order to be able to face his newest enemies in Kyoto, and for those playing along ‘fear’ is apparently Nura’s version of ‘bankai’ or ‘haki’ or whatever you call a power-up in Jump. There’s new characters introduced, most of whom mistake Rikuo as a weakling before they learn better, and the villain marches through Kyoto curbstomping everyone and being arrogant. That said, I do sort of miss the initial plot of Nura trying to balance his human and yokai sides, which has gotten a bit lost amidst the battles. Now that his classmates are in danger (again) in Kyoto, perhaps we can get a bit more of a return to form. I’m not hopeful, though – the artist seems to love the yokai world far more than they do the human one.. – Sean Gaffney

The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 7 | Art by Kairi Yura, Story by Sai Yukino | VIZ Media – I’ve always really liked The Story of Saiunkoku, but this volume made me love it. While Shurei continues to persevere at court in the face of tremendous hardship (winning some admiration in the process), there is a lot of other really interesting stuff going on, including Koyu’s doubts about whether his guardian truly cares for him, Seiran’s promise to watch over Shurei until she can stand on her own, and the arrival of Shurei’s uncle with plans to recall her to the Hong clan’s “main house” someday. As if that weren’t enough, there’s an accusation of favoritism regarding Shurei’s test results, an arrest, a confinement, and a liberal sprinkling of Ryuki being awesome. Really, this volume has it all. I can’t imagine anyone waffling on the quality of this series, but if you did have doubts, volume seven will put them to rest! – Michelle Smith

Off the Shelf: In which we grant a request

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MJ: I’ve just realized how few jokes I know. You always open with a joke. I’ve got nothin’.

MICHELLE: That’s okay. I freely admit that most of mine aren’t very good. And even if you’ve got no jokes, you’ve surely got manga to talk about!

MJ: Indeed I do! Should I go first?

MICHELLE Please do!

MJ: Well, I know we have a special request to grant at some point here, but before we get to that, my big read for this week was the debut volume of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, adapted from the popular anime series. This is obviously a highly-anticipated release. In a rare twist, I’ve actually seen the anime series, and since I enjoyed it very much, I’d have to admit that this manga series was even highly anticipated by me. Ultimately, I’d say that this is not necessarily in the manga’s favor, though there is a quite a bit here to enjoy.

The series begins just as you’d expect from a magical girl story. Madoka is an ordinary girl with ordinary friends, who is suddenly approached by a talking catlike creature (Sailor Moon shout-out, I assume?) named Kyubey who offers her the opportunity to have a single wish granted if she’ll sign a contract to become a magical girl. This is understandably exciting for Madoka (and her friend, Sayaka, who is also invited), but nothing is quite as it first seems. Madoka’s magical dreams are quickly tempered by the reality of untimely death in a magical girl’s future, as well as by a mysterious new girl, Homura, who for some reason insists that it is of vital importance that Madoka not sign on with Kyubey—to the point that she makes repeated attempts on Kyubey’s life in an effort to save Madoka from him.

Having watched the anime series, there isn’t a lot of mystery in this for me, but even taking that into account, there are ways (mostly visual) in which the manga pales in comparison to its source material. For instance, one of the most spectacular elements of the anime series is the ornate visual fabric of the dimension inhabited by “witches” (the beings our magical girls are being asked to destroy). These encounters with witches are elaborate and rather psychedelic, and they really help to emphasize the series’ darker take on the magical girl formula. In the manga series, these sequences just look kind of drab and lumpy, and they are glossed over so quickly, the sense of real danger and anticipation is lost along with the general aesthetic. Even the fight scenes could really stand to be longer (did I really just say that?), as they seem to lose a lot of their tension and significance.

On the other hand, this story is compelling no matter how it’s told, and if the artist has failed to quite capture its eeriness, its pathos remains intact. I’m happy to see, too, that Madoka’s family life, headed up by her fearless corporate shark of a mom and her homemaker dad, is just as charming here as in the anime series (if granted slightly less screen time).

MICHELLE: This sounds a bit like Bokurano: Ours, in which middle-school-aged kids are duped into a contract that requires them to destroy aliens and die in the process. I do think, though, that you’ve sold me more on the anime here than on the manga.

MJ: Well, and perhaps I mean to, though I feel a bit bad about it. I have a lot more stake in the manga industry than I do in anime, yet in this case I can’t deny that the manga suffers in comparison. It is still quite interesting, though, and I’m looking forward to the second volume. It really is a very compelling story, regardless of how it’s being consumed.

One little oddity (and this applies to both mediums)— Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a magical girl series that resembles modern series for a male audience much more than a female one. You can easily identify all the usual suspects: the glasses-wearing girl, the spunky girl with fang teeth, the pretty girl with long, black hair, the self-conscious yuri jokes… you could be watching Lucky Star in that respect. This doesn’t detract from the series at all for me, but it definitely gives the series a bit of a male otaku vibe—at least that’s how it reads to me.

So, what’s next?

MICHELLE: Well, I’ve also read something that’s an adaptation from another medium, though this time it’s from a dating sim for girls!

You may recall that I talked about Alice in the Country of Hearts way back in our second ever Off the Shelf column. There, I initially referred to it as “bishie land” then instantly reconsidered, since the plot focused more on the mystery of the world in which the heroine, Alice, found herself than in her myriad romantic prospects. The series was much better than I expected, and I liked it so much that I sought out the sixth volume in Japanese after TOKYOPOP’s demise meant the series would not conclude in English (though it will be released in its entirety by Yen Press this summer).

Alice in the Country of Clover: Bloody Twins is an adaptation (by a different artist) of another game in the series, and though certain elements are reset, it functions fairly well as a sequel. Alice remains in the world that she believes is a dream and has become fairly comfortable there. Nearly every male resident is interested in her, but her constant companions are twin boys “Dee and Dum,” who constantly proclaim their love for her and who like to a) glomp her all the time and b) kill people. A shift in the dream environment moves everyone to the land of Clover, where the twins gain the ability to turn into grown men, whereupon they act the same as ever, causing Alice to get flustered and blush a lot.

This is another case of a series suffering in comparison to something else. Where Alice in the Country of Hearts surpassed my expectations for a manga adapted from a dating sim, Alice in the Country of Clover meets them fairly exactly. There is no focus on the mystery of the world at all. Instead, this reads entirely like a “what if” scenario: what if Alice fell in love with the twins? She’s still a reasonably likeable character, rather embarrassed that she’d dream up such a scenario, but Dee and Dum are so empty as people that it’s disturbing that she’s not disturbed by them. It’s utterly impossible for me to root for this romance, but perhaps I was never intended to, as the short stories rounding out the volume explore different “what if” pairings for Alice.

That said, Alice in the Country of Clover isn’t outright bad. I definitely smiled a few times at the humor, and can see myself checking out the next Clover installment, Cheshire Cat Waltz, which Seven Seas is publishing next month.

MJ: I suppose my feeling here is that you’ve perhaps sold me on Alice in the Country of Hearts rather than on this sequel, which sounds… not bad, but probably not worth prioritizing over better manga.

MICHELLE: And, like you, perhaps I meant to, but I feel bad about it! I definitely hope that people support Seven Seas by checking out the Clover titles.

And now… the special request. A few weeks ago, you reviewed the tenth volume of Pandora Hearts in our Bookshelf Briefs column, and we received a comment from Releona, who said she’d like to see it featured in an Off the Shelf column, as she was interested in our thoughts on it in greater detail.

Your wish is our command, Releona!

MJ: Since I’ve already done a review of sorts, would you like to get us up to speed on the series’ plot at this point?

MICHELLE: I’ll take a shot at it, though Pandora Hearts is one of those series that makes sense in the short-term but is not exactly clear in terms of its long-term plot trajectory.

Oz decides that the best bet for restoring Alice’s lost memories would be to visit Sablier, scene of a great tragedy a century before. Separated as they approach the epicenter of the disaster, Oz, Alice, and Gilbert see illusions from the past, each of which introduces some intriguing twists to the story, mostly in the form of answers about how the tragedy came to be. All of this is quite interesting, but mangaka Jun Mochizuki is adept at making the story about the characters, so the most compelling aspects are sympathizing with the character who brought about the tragedy as well as watching Gilbert angst oh-so-prettily about his memories and the possibility of being driven mad by them.

Probably I could read a manga that was all about Gilbert angsting prettily, but it sure was nice to get a little more shape to the story at this point.

MJ: Most readers by now have probably figured out that I’m a big fan of this series, and given that I’ve gone on in rapturous delight about its costuming, it’s probably a given that I’d happily read a whole manga about a prettily angsting Gilbert as well. But I certainly agree that this volume was a balm for the muddled brain. Not only was it a relief to understand Gil’s full history at last, but it also helped me to despise another character much, much less. And really, I wouldn’t have thought that could happen. Though probably I now hate Glen Baskerville much, much more.

Also, though Alice takes a back seat in this volume, the scene in which she confuses a kiss with a bite on the cheek is one of her most charming moments.

MICHELLE: It was, though I was startled to see how very obnoxious she was in the past. She may actually be a better person without her memories, which I’m sure is Mochizuki’s intent. Speaking of nice moments, I was also very happy that Oz actually feeling free to complain about something for the first time was given the significance it deserved. Gil desperately needs to be needed, and Oz still relying on him in a crucial moment brings him back from dangerous thoughts that still seem to be plaguing him, even at the volume’s end.

In addition to Gil’s violent impulses, another thing I’d like to see Mochizuki explore soon is Jack’s relationship to Alice and how much it influences Oz’s feelings towards her. In fact, this ties in to another important reveal in this volume, namely why Jack was consigned to the Abyss to start with.

I suppose my bottom line is, “this volume is not to be missed.” Not that I would advocate missing any of them, really.

MJ: Oh! And another thing that was a fairly big deal in this volume is Oz’s increasing ability to become one with the B-Rabbit. It was frightening, for sure, but pretty interesting.

And yes, I agree. This volume is not to be missed. It’s a substantial payoff for some of the confusion we’ve endured (amidst all the beauty) thus far.

Readers, if you (like Releona) have any special requests for Off the Shelf, feel free to let us know!