Michelle Smith

Manga the Week of 10/28

October 22, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Michelle Smith, Anna N and MJ 3 Comments

SEAN: Bad news. There’s 31 titles shipping next week. Good news: I’m not getting too many of them, so it’s not crippling for me. What’s happening next week, anyway?

I haven’t seen an 801 Media title in forever, but Amazon lists Magical Warriors: Chocolat & Pudding as coming out next week. Which sounds like a cute magical girl title, but I’m going to hazard a guess isn’t.

ASH: I’m pretty sure that’s actually a Project-H title…

SEAN: Gantz comes to an end with Vol. 37, which is good because I ran out of things to say about it 30 volumes ago. I wish HEN was licensed.

Kodansha gives us more terrifying Junji Ito!… wait, no. This is Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu, and I expect it will be adorable and strange.

ASH: I am looking forward to this so much!

MICHELLE: Me, too!

ANNA: This sounds like a winner.

SEAN: There’s also an 11th volume of guilty pleasure Missions of Love.

And a 4th volume of “she’s not a manic pixie dream girl, honest” series Your Lie in April.

Seven Seas is debuting three new titles. Akuma no Riddle has yuri and takes place at a girls’ private school, but given it’s all about assassins, I’m hoping it’s less moe than the usual.

ASH: Yun Kouga is involved with the series, so I’m doubly intrigued.

MJ: You had me at “Yun Kouga.” How was this not on my radar? I need to fix my radar.

MICHELLE: So do I!

ANNA: Huh. I am also intrigued.

SEAN: A Certain Scientific Accelerator is based off of a certain well-known franchise, and stars a certain popular antihero, as you will already have guessed.

And Golden Time is based on a light novel by the author of Toradora!, and I hope is just as heartwarming and enjoyable as that title is.

Udon gives us the first volume of Steins;Gate, a title I remember more for the aggravating punctuation than anything else.

MJ: This, this, THIS. I adored this as an anime series, so I’m very optimistic.

SEAN: Viz Select gives us a 2nd digital volume of Chocolate Cosmos. Teacher-student relationships, whee!

MICHELLE: The debut volume wasn’t bad, so I will probably check out volume two, as well.

ANNA: I meant to check this out earlier!

SEAN: Yen Digital has a giant pile of releases, as this is the first month of the “official” rollout, with chapter releases and everything. I’ll just cover volumes here, starting with Corpse Princess, which is probably what it sounds like.

There’s also new volumes for Handa-kun, The Royal Tutor, and Today’s Cerberus.

ASH: Handa-kun will be coming out in print later, so I’m hoping that more of the digital titles will, too.

SEAN: Unknown is an actual title for a new manga about supernatural powers and the people who police them.

MJ: I’ll pretty much always check out a series with supernatural powers.

SEAN: And we get all 3 volumes of When a Magician’s Pupil Smiles, about an emotionless boy and his run-in with magic. This actually looks like a MJ/Michelle sort of title.

MJ: Why, it certainly does.

SEAN: Yen On has a third No Game No Life, where we see whether Sora will somehow manage to return from being erased from existence.

And a third Sword Art Online Progressive, where we reach a new level of Aincrad and prepare for a lot of water travel.

MJ: I’ve fallen behind in my SAO reading, but I must rectify that soon.

SEAN: Yen Press proper, meanwhile, has its usual pile. Accel World has a 5th manga, not to be confused with the 5th novel, out next month. (At least they aren’t the same date anymore.)

Akame Ga KILL! sure is popular, and has a 4th volume out as well.

Alice in Murderland proved to be as attractive to me as most other Kaori Yuki manga are, but a 2nd volume is out for her fans anyway.

Barakamon has a 7th volume, and I suspect we’ll have a lot more country life to make up for all the Tokyo in Vol. 6.

There’s a Black Butler artbook coming out with many pretty color illustrations of people draped over each other, I expect.

ASH: Yen does a nice job with its artbooks from what I’ve seen, so this should be good.

MJ: Agreed. I’m not a fan of the series, but I expect this will be a nice release.

SEAN: A Certain Magical Index’s 3rd manga volume decides to skip the not-all-that-good 2nd novel entirely and go straight to adapting the third.

And The Devil Is a Part-Timer! also has a 3rd manga volume out.

First Love Monster’s first volume balanced sweet and kind of skeevy very well. We’ll see if it can keep it up with Vol. 2.

Horimiya is Yen’s debut this month, a manga adaptation of a webcomic that seems like your standard cute shoujo romance, but runs in GFantasy so I’m sure it has to be weird in some way.

ASH: I like weird!

MJ: GFantasy, it’s like a drug.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to this one a lot!

SEAN: A third Kagerou Daze will likely be adapting the 2nd novel, which I liked but see not reason to read a manga adaptation of.

In case you didn’t think Homura had had enough revenge yet, there’s a 2nd volume of Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Homura’s Revenge. (Look, I’m sorry, it’s the end of a long list.)

So I Can’t Play H! continues to give us ecchi situations with no payoff in its 3rd volume.

Lastly, the debut of the manga adaptation of Strike the Blood, whose first light novel I found reasonably good last month.

Does this list make you happy? Or merely ill at the pile of titles?

Pick of the Week: First Volumes and Complete Sets

October 19, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: I was going to go with L♥DK for this week’s pick, but then sadly I read it. So instead, with a minimal number of things I’m excited about, I will pick Udon’s first volume of Kill La Kill. The anime got huge buzz, both good and bad, on the Twitters and the Tumblrs, and I look forward to seeing what the excitement is all about.

MICHELLE: Oh, no! But I guess, in the absence of anything else I was planning to get, that I will still pick L♥DK anyway. With much trepidation.

ASH: I seem to be hearing a lot of good things about Claymore recently, but I’ve never actually read any of the manga. So, I’m definitely eyeing the giant box set that’s being released this week.

MJ: This feels like the right time to give another boost to Claymore, one of my very favorite shounen series. It’s dark, it’s thrilling, it’s filled with incredible female characters… what’s not to like? I don’t have any need for Viz’s new box set myself, but I’d encourage anyone to consider it! It’s a fantastic series.

Bookshelf Briefs 10/19/15

October 19, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Anna N and Michelle Smith Leave a Comment

Sean, Anna, and Michelle take a look at recent releases from VIZ and Kodansha!

The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 2 | By Aya Shouoto | Viz Media – This manga suffers a bit in comparison to the overwhelmingly excellent Kamisama Kiss, since they are so similar in plot and sometimes character design, but I did enjoy this volume because it gave more hints of the troubles associated with Aoi’s attachment to Momochi House. He’s been at the house since he was a young child and can’t leave. In a reversal of the rescue the trapped princess trope, Himari is more and more determined to free him. There’s a bit of humor as yet another super cute ayakashi shows up. This manga is good for light and fluffy reverse harem demonic fun. – Anna N.

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 19 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – Now that we’ve mostly resolved the love story of Nanami and Tomoe, it’s time to try to figure out where to go next, as clearly the series is popular enough that it can’t just end. And so we get the resolution of the dugong plot, with Nanami’s ‘normal’ friends learning about her deity status, and seemingly OK with it. As for Kurama, I liked that his slowly getting closer to Nanami is not getting in the way of him still being a basic jerk—this transformation is slow, and thus more realistic. As for Mizuki, I’m not sure if this will actually stick, but he certainly seems to have come into his own when charming the mermaid with self-image issues. I sense the series is being dragged out, but so far I’m OK with that. – Sean Gaffney

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 19 | By Julietta Suzuki | VIZ Media – This latest arc—a school trip to Okinawa—started so tamely that I had zero memory of it when I started this volume. And yet, it ended up being significant for two supporting characters! With Nanami mostly sidelined by having her energy drained by Kirihito, Mizuki and Kurama set out to rescue their classmate, Ami. While Kurama ends up revealing more of himself to Ami than he has to anyone else, sowing the seeds for a presumed future relationship, it’s Mizuki who quells the wrath of a lonely mermaid by promising to be her husband. I 100% believe he would’ve honored his word and stayed with her, but when she sees how much he cared for Nanami, the mermaid (Unari) lets him go. In a way, this volume feels like it’s dealing with Nanami’s other potential suitors, clearing the slate for the final arc about Kirihito. We shall see! – Michelle Smith

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 14 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – The first half of this volume wraps up Hakuryu’s arc, and the thought that he’s meant to be a darker version of Alibaba is not going away, from his murder here right down to his hasty confession to Morgiana (who I think is far too overwhelmed with new and confusing emotions to answer any confession right now). The second half sticks with Aladdin, as he finds that there’s a difference between being a Magi and actually learning and using magic, so he goes to a manga Hogwarts to try to get the basics from the ground up. Since he needs to conceal his true nature, this is harder than it seems. I can do without Aladdin (and the author’s) boobies obsession, but otherwise this is another excellent volume. – Sean Gaffney

My Little Monster, Vol. 10 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – I love the smell of plot guns in the morning. Haru’s past, and his effortless academic excellence, have been on reader’s minds since the first volume. Now we get a long arc showing how he and Yuzan got to be the way they are, and how Shizuku likely has far more in common with Yuzan than she expected. It can be very frustrating to see someone like Haru in your life, and Shizuru needs to get past that – and I’m sure she will. Unfortunately, she doesn’t here, and Haru is likely going to react badly to this. Adding to that the beta couple, Natsume and Sasayan, also not really going anywhere (mostly due to Natsume’s ongoing issues), and it’s possible this series may end with no romance at all! Somehow I doubt that, though. – Sean Gaffney

My Love Story!!, Vol. 6 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | Viz Media – We’ve been slowly watching Takeo learn how to be a good boyfriend over the course of this series, and now we get to see him learn how to be a good big brother, as his mother is finally giving birth. (Speaking of which, seeing how Takeo’s father courted his future wife and proposed is possibly the funniest moment in the entire book.) After this there’s some cute Valentine’s Day shenanigans, but the more intriguing thing is the promise of more Suna in the next volume. He remains a difficult character to grasp, deliberately so—indeed, he has trouble grasping himself. He knows he hasn’t found the love that Takeo has, though. Will new girl be able to get through to him? – Sean Gaffney

My Love Story!!, Vol. 6 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | VIZ Media – Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly love My Love Story!! more than I already do, we get this adorable volume. First, we spend a bit of time with Takeo’s parents, Yuriko and Yataka, learning how they met and how Yuriko can’t help but try to take care of other people, just like her son. (Also, I absolutely love that Yataka was attracted toYuriko for being reliable, confident, and hard-working!) Next, pregnant Yuriko is admitted to the hospital, and panicked Takeo is gently steered in the right directions by calm, kind Sunakawa. And, ultimately, the family welcomes big, strong daughter Maki—there’s a great panel in which Takeo magnanimously declares that he’ll allow Sunakawa to marry her—and Takeo begins to think that he might like to have a career helping people. He’d make a fabulous fireman. Also, I would read that manga! So much love for this series. – Michelle Smith

Manga the Week of 10/21

October 15, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, MJ and Anna N 2 Comments

SEAN: Even though this is the quietest week of a big month… it’s still fairly big.

Dark Horse has a third volume of Oreimo: Kuroneko, for those who wanted a better ending than the canonical one, i.e. everyone.

Kodansha has the debut of a new shoujo series, L♥DK. It’s the sort I describe as a ‘potboiler’, and I think it will do well with those who love soap opera situations.

MICHELLE: I will be checking this one out. If it’s cracktastic, I hope it’s in a good way!

ASH: Soap opera situations? I am intrigued.

MJ: Who doesn’t love a good soap opera?

ANNA: I know I do!

SEAN: One Peace has a 2nd light novel for Rise of the Shield Hero.

Seven Seas caters to its fanbase with a second volume of Magika Swordsman and Summoner.

And also has a 3rd volume of Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary, which has monster girls and more ecchi antics.

And we round off our trio of otaku titles with Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn 2, which is drawn by Rikdo Koshi as if he never left the world of hentai doujinshi, and is written by Masamune Shirow as if he didn’t either.

Udon gives us the first volume of the Kill La Kill manga, which, if even one-tenth of the folks who gush about the anime on the internet purchase it, will sell like hotcakes.

ASH: I hope it does! Udon always does an excellent job with its manga; I’d like to see the publisher offer more.

SEAN: Vertical has the first of the Ninja Slayer manga (not to be confused with the Kodansha-licensed spinoff Ninja Slayer Kills) by the possibly imaginary American team of Bradley Bond and Philip “Ninj@” Morzez.

ASH: I wasn’t enamored with the spinoff, but I do plan on giving this series a try.

SEAN: If you always wanted to read Claymore but were waiting for a way to get all 27 volumes in one box set, Viz is the answer to your prayers.

MJ: Ooooooh, nice!

SEAN: And there’s also a 6th volume of the Special Edition of Monster, possibly with added depressing bits.

MICHELLE: I didn’t realize that these special editions had bonus material!

ASH: Do they?!

SEAN: They don’t, I was being silly. :)

MICHELLE: Oh, good!

SEAN: Lastly, there’s 3rd volume of runaway zombie hit Tokyo Ghoul.

Which of these varied titles most appeals to you?

Bookshelf Briefs 10/12/15

October 12, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith and Anna N Leave a Comment

Sean, Anna, and Michelle present a smattering of briefy goodness.

The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 2 | By Aya Shouoto | VIZ Media – At first, I thought this must be a short series, since Himari and Aoi already have feelings for each other by chapter four, but it’s not especially so. Thankfully, the pace slows down a little more toward the end of the volume, as Himari transfers into a new school. Curious classmates follow her home to her notoriously haunted house, and after a bit of comedic drag by the bishounen occupants, we learn that one of the visitors is already dead. It’s a nice bit of creepiness that will carry over into the next volume, hopefully boding well for more stories of a similar nature down the pipeline. Too, I liked the too-short bonus story of how Aoi came to reside within Momochi House. I am intrigued and will continue to follow this series! – Michelle Smith

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 8 | By Yoto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | Viz Media – I leave out contributor Yuki Morisaka in these briefs for reasons of space, but it’s fairly clear that she’s a second food expert on this title. The addition of the recipes makes sure that the series doesn’t get too ridiculous with its culinary competitions—when Alice uses liquid nitrogen to prepare her bento meal, it’s lampshaded that the bento recipe provided is a “super-easy” version of same. As for the contest, after Megumi’s spotlight last time, this time it’s Soma that gets to move on—though Megumi does have a not-so-shocking realization about her feelings for him. The question is not whether Soma will get past Alice—the nature of the title is not going to have him lose here. It’s how that makes us want more. – Sean Gaffney

Knights of Sidonia, Vol. 14 | By Tsutomu Nihei | Vertical Comics – Perhaps it’s an understatement to say that things are not looking good for the crew of the Sidonia. Spurred into the offensive against a huge cluster ship by the fact that it will only get bigger if they wait, two attack fleets are dispatched without injured ace Tanikaze and soon more gauna materialize to destroy half of them. Still more gauna threaten the Sidonia and, oh yeah, there’s a rogue crazy hybrid out there to contend with, as well. It’s a tense volume and I love that I can actually believe that Nihei really will allow humanity’s last hope to perish. My sole quibble is that when the captain tells Tanikaze about his origins and seemingly attempts to seduce him he has basically no reaction to the former and we never see response to the latter. You’d better not cheat on Tsumugi, you jerk! – Michelle Smith

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 14 | Original Concept by Hiro Arikawa, Story and Art by Kiiro Yumi | Viz Media – As ever, the basic premise of Library Wars is essentially ridiculous, and as a result it’s pretty hard to care about all the plotting the gang is doing to get an author whose freedom of expression is being denied to a foreign embassy so that he might defect. And yet, this setup does result in some terrific moments, like Shibazaki being omniscient (to anyone familiar with Suits, Shibazaki is the manga equivalent of Donna), Iku slinging an injured Dojo over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and the impossible-not-to-love two-page spread depicting a certain couple’s first kiss. Library Wars is very far from deep, but it is fun, and I expect that the next and final volume will offer up some satisfying resolution. Wonder if VIZ will release the sequel! – Michelle Smith

My Little Monster, Vol. 10 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – Remember just one volume ago, where sweetly, slowly developing high school romance reigned supreme? Quite adeptly, Robico turns things on their head in volume ten. It’s Yuzan’s birthday, and his scandal-prone famous father is adamant that Haru attend the party for the sake of public appearances. He goes, and it’s awful, but before then we get some much-needed insight into Yuzan’s perspective. All along, I kind of thought Haru’s effortless academic superiority was just a throwaway attribute, but it turns out that it’s the source of all his problems. Young Yuzan envied Haru so much that he contrived to get him thrown out of their father’s house, and when Haru learns that Shizuku is jealous too, he can’t take it. It’s an excellent, though upsetting, volume and I absolutely love feeling that a happy ending is not a foregone conclusion. Even more strongly recommended than previously! – Michelle Smith

Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign, Vol. 6 | by Takaya Kagami and Yamato Yamamoto | Viz Media – This volume continues to show a bit of world building and backstory as Yu and Kimizuki face the demons inside their cursed weapons to gain yet another level of power. The political machinations in the Japanese Imperial Demon Army and the vampire nobility are also explained a bit, as Yu and Mika are set up for yet another confrontation. I enjoy the blend of character development and demonic weapon vs vampire action in Seraph of the End, mostly because there’s are more interesting storylines in this manga than the typical shonen action title. – Anna N

Toriko, Vol. 30 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – I do wonder if the reason for the big romance advancement this volume in a series where romance, let’s face it, is way way down on the list of importance was to dial back the series’ burgeoning BL fandom in Japan. Jump often gets accused of pandering to BL fans. Toriko isn’t Gintama, but they too can’t quite resist making fun of it—when Toriko accepts Rin’s proposal, Sunny straight up asks what about Komatsu? And Komatsu has dinner with a cute, like-minded chef not long after that. I think it would have more impact if Rin had been given a larger role in the story to date, but it’s still pretty heartwarming, particularly as it’s not the “I have no idea what I just agreed to” proposal acceptance I was assuming. – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Magi and Mermen!

October 12, 2015 by Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Sean Gaffney, MJ and Anna N Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: Alas, there’s not a whole lot that I’m looking forward to in next week’s round of releases, but I am always happy for a new volume of Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, so the 14th installment of same earns my pick of the week.

ASH: The releases this week run a whole gamut of genres, but I’ve recently been in the mood for some new comedy. Merman in My Tub looks as though it should be suitably ridiculous, so that’s one I’ll definitely be picking up to try.

SEAN: I’ll bite the bullet and go for Kiss Him, Not Me this week. Not overly enthused due to the weight loss thing, but if it manages to be suitably ridiculous and hammer on the fujoshi aspect, it could be a winner.

MJ: I admit it’s a sketchy week for me. I’m at a loss for a completely sure pick, but I think I’ll join Ash and take a chance this week on Seven Seas’ Merman in My Tub. I don’t exactly have the greatest trust in Seven Seas when it comes to publishing manga that’s really to my taste, but I gotta admit this looks fun. I’ll give it a try!

ANNA: There’s not a lot this week coming out that appeals to me, so I’m going to join Michelle in picking Magi. One day I will get caught up on that series!

Manga the Week of 10/14

October 7, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Michelle Smith, MJ and Anna N 1 Comment

SEAN: It’s the week of NYCC, so let’s keep this Manga the Week of short and sweet.

Dark Horse has a 10th Lone Wolf and Cub omnibus.

ASH: I really need to sit down and catch up with Lone Wolf and Cub now that it’s being released in an edition I can actually read…

SEAN: Kodansha debuts a series that some may have already seen on Crunchyroll’s manga site, the very well titled Kiss Him, Not Me. A warning: there is ‘sudden weight-loss makes me attractive’ here, as in Let’s Dance a Waltz. That said, the annoying premise is used entirely for comedy here, as our heroine is far more interested in pairing her hot guy suitors with each other.

MICHELLE: Yeah, I saw the weight loss thing and it disinclined me to investigate further. I’ll wait on others’ reviews of this one.

MJ: Ugh, not that again.

SEAN: Noragami is up to Volume 7 and making me wish I’d kept up with it, as it’s apparently insanely popular now.

ASH: Very popular! I’ve been enjoying it, too.

SEAN: From Seven Seas, Dance in the Vampire Bund II: Scarlet Order 3. Sean 0.

If you missed the Love in Hell volumes from a while back, there’s a Complete Collection coming out, also from Seven Seas.

The Seven Seas debut is Merman in My Tub, from Media Factory’s oddball magazine Comic Gene. If Monster Girls are a big hit, will Monster Guys sell just as well? Especially if there’s BL subtext?

MJ: Hm. Maybe?

ASH: I’m willing to give it a try!

ANNA: Hasn’t there already been a merman BL/yaoi title published over here? Is this an established genre?

SEAN: SubLime gives us a 3rd volume of The World’s Greatest First Love. Amazon seems to be listing Vol. 4 for next week as well, but I’m not sure if that’s accurate.

ASH: Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s not. Volumes 3 throu 5 were delayed some.

SEAN: And Vertical has a 7th Witchcraft Works. They’ve almost caught up with Japan.

ASH: Another series I need to catch up on myself!

SEAN: Viz has a 56th volume of Case Closed, and will never, ever catch up with Japan, but at least it’s still coming out regularly.

Deadman Wonderland continues to head for a climax, but it’s not there yet with Vol. 11.

Lastly, we get a 14th volume of Magi, which continues to features our leads separating to have their own adventures/level up.

MICHELLE: Yay, Magi!

ANNA: Woo hoo for Magi!

SEAN: Anything from this list catch your eye?

Pick of the Week: Almost a Clean Sweep

October 6, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: Everything comes to an end, and we have three major series ending this week. My pick is for the final volume of Oh My Goddess!. It’s the 2nd manga series I ever read, after Ranma 1/2, and I’ve literally been reading it as long as I’ve read manga. Seeing it come to an end is surprising – I honestly thought it would run forever, like Sazae-san. Here’s hoping Keiichi and Belldandy finally get the honeymoon they’ve deserved for the last 25 or so years.

MICHELLE: And while some things end, others begin, like the latest series from Kyousuke Motomi (Beast Master, Dengeki Daisy), QQSweeper! I’m partway through the debut volume now and enjoying it immensely, so it easily earns my Pick of the Week award.

ASH: QQ Sweeper is my pick, too! Although I still need to read Beast Master, I really enjoyed Dengeki Daisy, even more than I expected that I would. I’m definitely looking forward to the debut of Motomi’s newest series in English.

ANNA: I enjoyed Dengeki Daisy very much, and while QQ Sweeper doesn’t feature another older hacker janitor/schoolgirl romance, Motomi’s delightfully quirky storytelling habits make it my pick of the week. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with this more supernatural shoujo series.

MJ: I admit that I fizzled out early on Dengeki Daisy, but QQ Sweeper hooked me right away. It hits all my contemporary shoujo sweet spots, and I really can’t wait to read the next volume. This is absolutely my pick of the week.

Bookshelf Briefs 10/5/15

October 5, 2015 by Michelle Smith and Sean Gaffney Leave a Comment

Sean and Michelle present another round of Bookshelf Briefs!

Assassination Classroom, Vol. 6 | By Yusei Matsui | Viz Media – It’s unsurprising that there are people in Class E who are somewhat resentful of what Koro-sensei is trying to do. The entire class, as we’ve seen, is not of one mind, and Terasaka is perfectly happy scraping along at the bottom. Of course, Koro-sensei can win anyone over, though it also takes some tough love from Karma as well. Things are going pretty well for our heroes, though, which is why it’s time to introduce a new villain—this one the son of our main villain, the school principal. Asano is there to ensure that Class E does not make headway in the school exams. I’m not sure if he’ll succeed, as the class making headway would result in their promotion, which would make it hard to continue the series. Good stuff. – Sean Gaffney

He’s My Only Vampire, Vol. 4 | By Aya Shouoto | Yen Press – Aki’s pursuit of the seven stigmas needed to gain the power to wake his slumbering brother continues, despite the objections of a pair of angels, culminating in the acquisition of a third stigma and the apprehension of the serial killer who’s been on the periphery since the beginning of the series. This is an entertaining volume, largely due to some manipulation of shoujo tropes. A classmate goes missing, and ordinarily we would expect the heroine and friends to succeed in rescuing her, but that does not happen. Then we get the “our leads fill in for a school drama performance” plot, including Aki in drag, but this old idea is made fresh by the lurking supernatural menace. Of the three Aya Shouoto series coming out presently, I like He’s My Only Vampire the best. The tone is darker and more consistent and plotting feels more sure-footed as well. Recommended! – Michelle Smith

Kokoro Connect, Vol. 5 | By Sadanatsu Anda and CUTEG | Seven Seas – Being an ongoing light novel series whose manga was going to end here, I’m not surprised that Kokoro Connect has a very open ending that doesn’t really resolve the main love triangle or Heartseed. But it does continue to do what it does well, which is put its cast through the wringer—particularly Inaba, whose self-loathing turns out to be just as bad if not worse than Iori’s sense of self issues. The weak link here is Taichi, whose “knight complex” gets called out here without nearly as much development in the narrative. Still, it’s a solid ending that leaves things open for a second series (though one hasn’t happened as of yet in Japan). A surprisingly emotional romantic comedy with psychological underpinnings. – Sean Gaffney

Love at Fourteen, Vol. 4 | By Fuka Mizutani | Yen Press – As the focus expands slightly to show us other students in this series, it’s clear that not only do Kazuki and Kanata have the whole ‘mature’ thing going for them, but their own love affair is the only one that’s going relatively smoothly. There are issues like a need for closeness and face time, but given they’re both fourteen that’s understandable. To contrast this, we have the ongoing teacher/student relationship that knows it’s wrong but just can’t stop itself, the yuri writer whose Kanata fantasies are getting more robust, and the standard “why the hell won’t he notice me, dammit” girl who’s growing her hair out for the clueless guy she likes. Honestly, the main couple is the main reason to read this—the rest grates. – Sean Gaffney

QQ Sweeper, Vol. 1 | By Kyousuke Motomi | VIZ Media – Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Here we have a Kyousuke Motomi shoujo manga featuring a custodian with past trauma for which he blames himself and the plucky orphan who is recruited to work alongside him. Happily, while there are obvious similarities to Dengeki Daisy, the tone of QQ Sweeper distinguishes itself nicely and its lead characters are distinct, as well. (Also, while Kyutaro describes himself as “the custodian of the Genbu Gate,” it’s not really a janitorial position.) I particularly like Fumi, both in character design and personality, especially her unabashed pursuit of a rich husband but unwillingness to get in the way of true love. I’m still positive she and Kyutaro will end up together, but for now I love that she’s not even considering him romantically, despite telling him “you’re special to me.” I really enjoyed this debut and look forward to more! – Michelle Smith

Manga the Week of 10/7

October 1, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, MJ, Anna N and Michelle Smith 2 Comments

SEAN: First week of October, and therefore hope you like Viz. But first:

Diamond Comics has been messing with me, saying this wasn’t coming out and then saying it was. Amazon says 10/21, but they’re usually behind Diamond by 2 weeks. I don’t know when it’s actually coming out (this makes me nostalgic for Dark Horse releases days past). But it’s Oh My Goddess 48, the final, very last Oh My Goddess, except for all the omnibus releases. I’ll miss it.

Kodansha hits a milestone with the 50th volume of Fairy Tail, which I’ll be honest I’m just following on Tumblr for Gajeel/Levy moments.

Genshiken 2nd Season Vol. 7 continues to show us the world’s most unlikely harem comedy.

ASH: I’ve been enjoying this one! Hato is the best.

SEAN: One Peace gives us a 4th volume of Aquarion EVOL.

Seven Seas has the 5th and final volume of Kokoro Connect, a series I’ve greatly enjoyed. Given there are many light novels after the two that were adapted, my guess is the ending will be somewhat open.

And there’s a 5th volume of gore-filled Magical Girl Apocalypse, for those who felt Madoka Magica didn’t go far enough.

Vertical Comics have a new series debuting. Tokyo ESP, about a girl who suddenly finds she has… well, ESP. And she lives in Tokyo. Sometimes titles write themselves. This also had an anime last year.

MJ: I’m a sucker for ESP stories. So, yeah. This one’s for me.

And now here’s Viz. Assassination Classroom gets a 6th volume, and introduces the chief villain’s villainous son.

ANNA: Wow, I am so far behind with this series, even though I quite like it!

SEAN: Two big Viz shonen series come to an end next week, and sadly I expect this is the one folks won’t be talking about as much. But Claymore has been quietly awesome for some time, and the 27th volume is definitely worth a look.

MICHELLE: Some day I really will read all the volumes of Claymore that I have accumulated.

MJ: Yes! So happy to see this!

SEAN: The Demon Prince of Momochi House has a 2nd volume.

ASH: If nothing else, the first volume was pretty!

ANNA: It was! Even though it seems a bit too similar to Kamisama Kiss, I found it enjoyable.

SEAN: And Food Wars! is up to Volume 8, and still in the midst of its tournament arc, though there’s still time for teaching little kids to make food as well.

MICHELLE: Yay Food Wars!.

SEAN: Kamisama Kiss is at volume 19, and is edging towards romantic resolution, possibly? Have I said that before?

MICHELLE: It certainly feels that way.

ANNA: Such a good series! I hope this isn’t the last Julietta Suzuki we see over here.

ASH: I still actually need to read Kamisama Kiss.

SEAN: Library Wars: Love & War has its penultimate volume out next week, and I can confirm it DOES have quite a payoff, though it’s still not quite resolved.

MICHELLE: So much good stuff this week!

ASH: Penultimate volume! I hadn’t realized that.

ANNA: Library Wars! I love it so! I am also stoked that the anime has been licensed.

ASH: YES!!

SEAN: My Love Story!! is up to Volume 6, and still adorable.

MICHELLE: Like this!

ASH: Yes!

ANNA: YAY!

MJ: Same.

SEAN: Naruto has come to an end with its 72nd volume, though there are six novels and several spinoffs still to come. The ending was… controversial among fandom. Should be interesting.

A new debut from the creator of Dengeki Daisy, one of my favorite Shojo Beat series. QQ Sweeper has a bit more of a supernatural flair to it, but the sense of humor and “plucky heroine” style is the same.

MICHELLE: I’m curious about this one, definitely.

ASH: Same here.

ANNA: It is good!

MJ: I really enjoyed this first volume—hit all the sweet spots!

SEAN: So Cute It Hurts!! only has two exclamation marks, despite this being Vol. 3.

ANNA: Call me a sucker for fluffy shoujo series, but I like this. We haven’t had many cross-dressing shoujo series recently, so it certainly serves that niche.

SEAN: Toriko 30 has what many saw as one of the biggest surprises of the entire series, though no surprise as to what it entailed – it involves romance.

Twin Star Exorcists gives us a 2nd volume as well.

World Trigger has a 7th volume, and is doing far better than I expected it to based on the first few chapters.

Lastly, Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds 8 continues to look like some bizarre library indexing system.

What are you planning to get next week?

Pick of the Week: Vikings, Japan, and Space

September 28, 2015 by Michelle Smith, Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: The two volumes I am most looking forward to this week hail from two very different series I love a lot and which only have a few volumes left. I think I’ve probably praised My Little Monster more often and more recently, though, so I will cast my vote this time for Tsutomu Nihei’s Knights of Sidonia, which I love fervently. I really can’t believe that it’s ending soon, but I intend to cherish every panel until it does.

SEAN: No question here: the final volume of Showa is absolutely my pick of the week. Shigeru Mizuki’s book is 60% history textbook and 40% biography, and it’s to his credit that we find both equally riveting. I can’t wait to see the conclusion.

ASH: Vinland Saga! It’s been about a year since the fifth omnibus was released, and the fate of the series in English will depend on the success of the sixth and seventh. So far, the historical epic has been excellent; I’ve been anxiously waiting to read more.

ANNA: I absolutely agree. Vinland Saga is a great series and it deserves more support. Buy a copy or three!!!!!

MJ: Though there’s a lot of manga coming out this week, I admit it’s mostly series I’m not following. That is, of course, with one BIG exception, the glorious Knights of Sidonia, which is worthy of my pick any week. I’m going for Sidonia.

Bookshelf Briefs 9/28/15

September 28, 2015 by Sean Gaffney and Michelle Smith Leave a Comment

Sean tackles a big pile of briefs and Michelle… doesn’t.

Chocolate Cosmos, Vol. 1 | By Nana Haruta | VIZ Media (digital only) – Judging by the title, you might assume that Chocolate Cosmos has something to do with desserts, but so far, that does not appear to be the case. Instead, readers are introduced to high school first year Sayuki Sakurai, an academic slacker with an unfortunate case of resting bitch face, who just wants to experience a “heartwarming” kind of love, like she’s read about. It would seem luck is on her side when she meets a cute, sweet guy at the beach, but alas, he turns out to be a teacher at her school, Katsuya Hagiwara. The entire second half of the volume is Sayuki and friends trying to establish a club with Hagiwara as their advisor. As much as I generally don’t care for student-teacher romances, this one is chaste enough—and more of an ensemble piece—to be appealing in a comfort-food shoujo kind of way. I will probably keep reading it. – Michelle Smith

Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, Vol. 12 | By Yomi Hirasaka and Itachi | Seven Seas – Once again I am impressed by how far this series will go to remind us how screwed up its main cast is, particularly Yozora, who undercuts what should be a really awesome moment with unrepentant theft. Even when a character is shown to be better off than we expect, such as Kobato being admired and respected by her classmates, it’s something that Kobato herself can’t accept, preferring to drench herself in fantasy and attacks on Maria, who is fast becoming her best friend. Oh yes, and Sena and Kadota are engaged, in a scene in a church so drenched with awkward sexual tension that even Christ himself tells them off. Still a hilarious comedy with dark undertones. – Sean Gaffney

He’s My Only Vampire, Vol. 4 | By Aya Shouoto | Yen Press – I will give the author credit for at last attempting to keep the ‘they still have to go to school everyday’ aspect of this increasingly dark and twisted manga going, and there are some standard ‘manga’ plots such as Kana having to stand in for the drama club when one of their members goes missing. That said, it’s the aforementioned dark, twisted bits that make this volume more interesting to me—said missing girl ends up as part of a surprisingly high body count, the Angels who oppose Aki are, unsurprisingly for Japanese manga, rather unholy, and the stigma of Lust carries a whole barrel of unhealthy implications in its story. Don’t let the fluffy cover fool you—this is pretty dark vampire action stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Kimi Ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 22 | By Karuho Shiina | Viz Media – Shiina’s series began by discussing how difficult it was to make your feelings known to a person that you love—or even a close friend—and even now twenty-two volumes later, with half the cast finally hooking up, communication troubles still drive the majority of the plot. Kento has now been told what Ayano wants to do, and realizes he’s been selfish, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into a full reversal. Likewise, Chizu and Kazehaya are facing a separation from the person they love that is devastating each of them in its own way. Add to this some wonderful scenes with Sawako and Kurumi inspiring each other, and a Big Damn Kiss, and this ends up being another fantastic volume. – Sean Gaffney

My Neighbor Seki, Vol. 4 | By Takuma Morishige | Vertical Comics – As this series goes on, it is starting to slowly expand its universe, although the majority of the volume is still ‘what is Seki doing in class and what is Yokoi’s reaction.’ Yokoi’s impulsive actions end up inadvertently causing her to end up in Seki’s bedroom, and we get to see more of his sister. We also once again see that to the rest of the class, it’s Yokoi who’s the weird one—a reputation not exactly helped by Goto’s somewhat obsessive artwork depicting the many faces of Yokoi. As for Seki himself, what amuses me most is just how often his flights of fancy end up coming back to bite him in the end—it’s not just Yokoi, though she helps. Sometimes it’s his own karma. – Sean Gaffney

Sword Art Online: Progressive (manga), Vol. 3 | By Reki Kawahara and Kiseki Himura | Yen Press – The pointless fanservice that is a mild part of the novels is given a tremendous amount of focus in the manga, leading to Kirito being out of character (the underwear gag) or just pure otaku pandering (the cream-bun bukkake scene). This is irritating, because when the manga decides to use the novel as a stepping stone to tell its own story, it does a very good job. Argo continues to be a major part of this story, which is good as I love her character, and I also like how it fits in the side story ‘The Reason for the Whiskers’ in its own continuity. Still, overall the fanservice left such a bad taste in my mouth that I’d recommend the novel unless you enjoy service for service’s sake. – Sean Gaffney

Manga the Week of 9/30

September 24, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Michelle Smith, Anna N and MJ 1 Comment

SEAN: It’s a somewhat busy 5th week this time around, with a lot of stuff from Kodansha.

After a brief delay, I believe we now are getting the final volume of Shigeru Mizuki’s epic biography/history Showa next week from Drawn & Quarterly, covering 1953-1989.

ASH: I am so glad this series was translated.

SEAN: Speaking of giant omnibuses, the second COLOSSAL EDITION of Attack on Titan comes out next week. Use it to beat titans to death!

My Little Monster is now in double digits with the 10th volume. I think it’s actually near an ending as well, so things might be slowly trudging towards resolution.

ASH: I still love that there’s a pet chicken. Nagoya should get a series.

MICHELLE: I would read it! But yes, this series sadly only has twelve volumes.

SEAN: The Seven Deadly Sins, which I admit I lost track of, has also reached double digits.

And there’s a third volume of A Silent Voice, which I think could go in any number of directions right now, all interesting.

ASH: A Silent Voice has been very well written so far. I’m curious to see where it goes.

SEAN: Vinland Saga puts out its 6th omnibus, and they have openly said that this is sales-dependent in order to continue. Go buy it.

ASH: Yes, please do! Vinland Saga is such a great series!

ANNA: I am going to buy it, and if I could clone myself and buy it again I would!

SEAN: Seven Seas gives us a 2nd omnibus of Freezing, which is a very very VERY Seven Seas title, for what it’s worth. Fans of those other Seven Seas titles should go buy it right now.

Vertical has another Attack on Titan light novel, with the 2nd volume of Harsh Mistress in the City.

And lastly, Vertical Comics has the 14th volume of Knights of Sidonia. It’s announced it’s ending in Japan soon, will we get a happy ending? Is that even possible for a title like this?

MICHELLE: *makes grabbyhands* Also, it’s ending?! Granted, I’ve not read anything since volume 12, but it didn’t seem like it was winding down at all. Now I am very fretful that everyone is suddenly going to die.

ANNA: That seems like a reasonable fear.

MJ: Oh, this series, this series… seconding Michelle’s grabbyhands.

SEAN: So what appeals to you as the leaves turn to brown?

Pick of the Week: Digital Love

September 21, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, MJ and Anna N Leave a Comment

SEAN: This week’s pick for me is the new Ryukishi07 adaptation, Rose Guns Days Season 1. This is *not* a When They Cry release, so there’s less emphasis on death and horror. It takes place in an AU 1947 Japan, where various disasters have led to most of Japan being occupied by America and China, with Japanese as second-class citizens. It’s also an excuse for a lot of punching and some fun dialogue.

MICHELLE: I think I’ll go for Chocolate Cosmos this time. It’s not that Cactus’s Secret was crazy amazing, but I don’t recall it being awful either. Plus, I’m generally up for new shoujo debuts!

ASH: The newest volume of My Neighbor Seki gets my pick this week, which seems appropriate as it’s school season here in the US. My Neighbor Seki is just such a delightful and charming manga. I’m glad that Vertical ultimately decided to release the entire series.

MJ: I don’t have an extremely solid pick this week, but I’ll tentatively join Michelle in looking towards Chocolate Cosmos. I’m always interested in new shoujo, and chocolate, even simply as a *word* holds magical power over my soul. So there you are.

ANNA: I’m going to join with MJand Michelle in picking Chocolate Cosmos. I’m always curious to check out a new shoujo series.

What looks good to you this week?

Manga the Week of 9/23

September 18, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Anna N, Ash Brown, Michelle Smith and MJ 1 Comment

SEAN: Did I mention Yen’s digital rollout makes next week even longer? 30 titles. 30. Let that roll around your head for a while.

Before we get to Yen, let’s talk Devil Survivor, a new Kodansha series based off of an RPG that’s apparently quite popular. Lots of demons here.

Seven Seas has a 12th volume of Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, whose fandom I’ve heard has completely imploded with the latest LN revelations. Luckily, this is the manga, and we’re a number of volumes from that.

Vertical Comics has the penultimate 11th volume of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. So happy this series came out over here.

ANNA: Yay for Gundam: The Origin! I need to go on a reading binge and get caught up on this series.

SEAN: And Vertical also has My Neighbor Seki 4, which is nothing like Gundam but also delights me.

ASH: As it should! My Neighbor Seki is wonderful.

SEAN: Viz Digital has a debut that I believe is another JManga rescue, though I’m not sure about that. Chocolate Cosmos is a Ribon series about a young girl looking for love, so it’s definitely for Beat fans. I think there was a translation competition that centered around it.

MICHELLE: Ooh, I didn’t know about this one! It’s by Nana Haruta, mangaka of Cactus’s Secret, which came out a few years ago.

ANNA: That sounds really interesting, I will have to check it out!

MJ: Same here!

SEAN: And now on to Yen Press. We’ll start with the Yen On line. Kagerou Daze’s first novel was rather diffuse and obtuse – somewhat deliberately – and I am both interested in the 2nd volume and hoping I get more of a handle on it.

Kingdom Hearts has a new novel as well, Chain of Memories. Are Mickey Mouse and company still in this series?

I don’t know if MJhas had the time to read Pandora Hearts: Caucus Race yet, but if not, she’s now even more behind, as the 2nd novel is out next week.

MJ: MJhas not, and she’s a little bit wary of a Pandora Hearts novel series, but she’ll most likely succumb.

SEAN: The debut novel this month is Strike the Blood, which is an action fantasy series with vampires, and thus perfect for Yen, really.

Yen Digital rolls out more debuts, most comedic. Demon King Ena-sama Goes to a Manga School seems a bit self-explanatory.

If the creepy humiliation vibe of Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler didn’t put you off, a 3rd volume is here for you.

My Monster Girl’s Too Cool For You seeks to hit on a popular recent trend, and for once seems to begin with a rejection rather than a sudden love confession.

The Royal Tutor was slighter than I was expecting, but decent enough, and a 3rd volume of that is here as well.

ASH: Wow, I’m behind. I didn’t realize we were already up to volume three!

SEAN: And we get complete in 3 separate volumes a series called Shut-in Shoutarou Koninami Takes On The World, whose name alone makes one think of Scott Pilgrim.

Finally, we get Yen’s copious print volumes. A 2nd Big Hero 6, based on the American movie. (I always love seeing Japanese adaptations of Western media.)

Black Bullet gets a manga series to go with the light novel we saw last month. I expect the lolicon tendencies I saw in the novel would bother me more in the manga.

Bloody Cross has an 8th volume.

And there’s a 2nd volume of possibly too cliched for its own good fantasy series Chaika the Coffin Princess.

Demon From Afar is up to Volume 4, which means by now the entire cast must have all died at least three times, right?

After a couple of Final Fantasy Type-0 side stories, we now have the Type-0 manga proper.

Surprise hit (at least with me) He’s My Only Vampire gets a 4th volume.

And a 4th Love at Fourteen will continue to alternate between “they’re so adorable!” and “…are you really going there?”

MICHELLE: I’m going to be catching up on this series soon!

ASH: I need to catch up, too, but I did enjoy the first couple of volumes.

SEAN: Not everything is about Madoka Magica, but the new spinoff certainly is: Suzuna Magica begins next week.

After the relative popularity of Higurashi and Umineko, it’s time for another Ryukishi07 sound novel getting an adaptation, this one somewhat lighter in tone – at least at first. Rose Guns Days is an alternate universe action thriller with lots of fistfights and “ladies of the evening”, and should be a ton of fun.

Spice & Wolf gives us an 11th manga volume. Don’t get it mixed up with the light novels.

Sword Art Online Progressive’s manga also has a third volume, though it’s still adapting the first light novel. Expect underwear. Lots of underwear.

MJ: I wish I liked these manga adaptations better. Alas.

SEAN: Triage X has hit double digits, a feat that makes me want to cry blood, but hey.

And a third (fourth) omnibus of Ubel Blatt, whose Volume Zero still haunts the list-obsessed.

Umineko: When They Cry has a 2nd omnibus for its 5th arc. Dlanor A. Knox is on the cover. I love Dlanor. So much better than Erika, whose presence sadly continues to permeate this arc, infecting it with her detective skills.

Lastly (at long last), a 10th omnibus of Until Death Do Us Part. Still not quite caught up with Japan, in case you were wondering.

Does anything in this huge pile appeal to your inner soul?