Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews
SEAN: The danger of doing a weekly column like this is that you run into weeks where nothing that inspires you is coming out. For the print manga column, that’s somewhat rare, and it’s been more common but still rare for JManga as well.
Next week, we have a 7th volume of PoyoPoyo’s Observation Diary, and the third Tsumanuda Fight Town.
…I got nothing. Look forward to them, fans of those series!
MJ: Yep.
MICHELLE: *nods sagely*
By Quin Rose and Mamenosuke Fujimaru, based on the game by Quin Rose. Released in Japan as “Joker no Kuni no Alice – Circus to Usotsuki Game” by Ichijinsha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Comic Zero-Sum. Released in North America by Seven Seas.
As I’ve noted before, I’m enjoying the Alice series a lot more than I’d expected to. I think one reason may be its similarity to the Higurashi series, another favorite of mine. Both franchises based on ‘visual novel’-type games, and made into manga series where the continuity reboots with each new incarnation. The Alice books, however, haven’t really tied into each other the way Higurashi does – you don’t really need to read them in order, and you can simply pick the series with your favorite guy and only read that one without missing much. Now, though, we have Alice dealing with a new antagonist, Joker, and this very much ties into the previous series, and rewards readers/players who are well-versed in it.
It may come as a surprise, then, to see the volume begin with what amounts to a giant 80-90 page recap of Alice’s adventures in Wonderland to date, from her abduction by Peter to her present life working in the Heart Palace (yes, she’s there in this iteration, not the Clocktower, the Amusement Park, or the Hatter Mansion). We meet the entire main cast, get a brief precis as to who they are and what their damage is, and see how they interact with Alice (who hasn’t fallen for anyone here – romance is, so far, not in the cards in this setup). It’s given a wraparound of Alice reading her diary and reminiscing about the past, which works all right. However, this doesn’t seem like filler but more a way of putting the basic concepts of Wonderland in the reader’s mind before the creators start fiddling with them.
Because it’s April, the Circus is coming to town, and Alice’s memories are starting to go a bit wonky. She’s currently in the country of Clover, yet runs into Julius and Gowland, neither of whom should technically be there. It would appear that this is merely a function of the season, but the arrival of the circus to town might also be a reason – a circus with two creepy children and their master, the titular Joker. We met Joker in a small cameo in the original Alice series, but this is the first time dealing with him in the flesh. He’s a smug trickster-type character, and no doubt will be driving Alice nuts as the series goes on. More to the point, Joker and his two assistants ask Alice why she’s staying in Wonderland and not returning to her world. We get a bit more detail about her life pre-Wonderland here, including a touchingly sad side-story detailing her crush on her tutor, and her sister’s role in it. Again, we see that all of the main male cast seem dedicated to her NOT thinking of her sister, and I have a feeling Joker might try to sabotage that. (Of course, the fate of her sister is about as much of a spoiler by this point as Higurashi’s main villain – if you haven’t figured it out yet, read the main series again.)
This is a more serious and mystery-oriented incarnation of the Alice series, with only one sexual innuendo from the Hatter (a new low!). This isn’t to say it’s without humor, however. Alice’s reaction to Peter’s assault at the start is amusing enough to take the taste of creepy away a bit, and the Hatter’s way of showing her she’s being appalling by comparing him with her tutor is fantastic. There’s also an amusing side-story showing what the series would be like if Alice was a tiny cute little girl instead – let’s just say less romance and more adorable. But the main reason to read Alice, as always, is for the mind games the world brings with it, and this series promises to be the best one yet in delivering them.
SEAN: I had forgotten that Midtown, for some odd reason, hates Seven Seas and doesn’t get their books in for ages. So I’ll add the books that came out via Diamond this week to next week’s list.
So what is on that list? Dark Horse has a short story collection by Hiroaki Samura, creator of Blade of the Immortal, entitled Emerald And Other Stories. It will come as no surprise that these stories are about Samurai in some way, shape or form. Sounds similar to the recent Kaoru Mori collection, only with samurai replacing maids. Fun!
ANNA: I have the first few volumes of Blade of the Immortal but never got into it as much as my beloved Vagabond. I think I have room in my heart for only one long-running samurai series. That being said, I might check this out because I did really enjoy Samura’s short story collection of college life, Ohikkoshi.
MJ: I can’t decide if I’m interested in this. I don’t love samurai or short stories, but I have always wanted to try Blade of the Immortal, and maybe this would give me the push I’ve needed to dig in.
MICHELLE: I read the first volume of Blade of the Immortal and thought it was awesome, but somehow I have never continued with it. I think it’s ‘cos I have to brace myself for the gore I might encounter, which is why I’ve not continued with Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, either, despite liking the first volume.
Anyway, Emerald and Other Stories sounds pretty interesting and not too full of samurai, if Amazon’s description is to believed. I might have to check this out!
SEAN: Kodansha has what I believe is the final volume of Deltora Quest, the manga adaptation of Emily Rodda’s books that ran in one of Kodansha’s younger titles, Comic Bom Bom.
MICHELLE: I read the first volume of Deltora Quest, which was sufficient to convince me that I didn’t need to read any more volumes of Deltora Quest.
SEAN: Coming out this week via Diamond and Amazon, and sometime whenever via Midtown, Seven Seas has a new Alice series debuting. Alice in the Country of Joker: Circus and Liar’s Game is a much darker take on a series that can get pretty dark already, and pays more attention to the mystery of Alice’s older sister.
ANNA: I didn’t enjoy Cheshire Cat Waltz very much, but I still have a certain amount of affection for the franchise and would probably read this if some other reviewers think it worthwhile.
MICHELLE: I had no idea there was a Country of Joker incarnation! I think I have at least sampled all of the versions, but this one sounds more promising than most.
SEAN: There’s also the 2nd volume of Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends. Of Seven Seas’ three moe titles this fall, this is the only one I bothered to get a second volume of. It’s on probation, however, so we’ll see if it improves any.
SubLime has Vol. 3 of Awkward Silence, featuring that ever-popular BL cover of a smug guy forcing himself on an angry nervous guy. As seen in everything forever. (As also seen in a lot of shoujo and josei, with the uke replaced with a girl. The pose is equal opportunity.)
MJ: I’m really trying to give Awkward Silence the benefit of the doubt, mainly because of its author. But I’ll admit that volume one did not give me a lot of confidence that this series will transcend its cover art. Anyone want to offer me some hope here? I’ve got both volumes two and three sitting here staring at me.
MICHELLE: I found the first volume to be really generic, if not outright terrible, and was surprised that Takanaga’s been able to sustain the premise for multiple volumes. So, I guess I’ve no hope to offer you.
SEAN: Vertical has the debut of a new sci-fi manga from the creator of Biomega and Blame!. It’s called Knights of Sidonia, and the advance buzz on it has been excellent. It runs in Kodansha’s Afternoon, but is probably not very much like Oh My Goddess! at all.
ANNA: Is there a bear with a machine gun in this manga? That’s my main question. I will pick this up, because I want to support Vertical on principal but not all of their titles appeal to me. Anything from the person that created Biomega is something I am interested in for sure.
MJ: I am totally there. This looks really interesting to me.
MICHELLE: I really enjoyed Nihei’s grimly compelling BLAME!, so I was predisposed to be interested in this, but the phrase on the back cover that really clinched it for me was “the spaceship’s cool-headed female captain.” Sign me up!
SEAN: Viz time. It’s been half a year, so it’s time for a new volume of Shonen Sunday series Hayate the Combat Butler. I love this series and no one else on Manga Bookshelf touches it, so I’ll just say I’m happy to see it and move on. :)
ANNA: I read the first volume and liked it well enough, but it didn’t inspire the kind of loyalty I would need to feel to keep reading such a long series.
MJ: I’ve wanted to try this series for years, so you keep on supporting it, Sean! I’ll fall in line eventually!
MICHELLE: I have to admit, it’s the artwork on this that keeps me away. It looks fairly moe-tastic.
SEAN: And Inu Yasha continues to get its VizBIG re-release, with Vol. 14 covering volumes…. um… (does math) 40-42 of Takahashi’s most popular (in North America, calm down, UY fans) series!
MICHELLE: Yay, InuYasha! I actually still need to read the final ten volumes of this; I’ve sort of been hoarding them until I’m ready for it to actually be over after all this time.
SEAN: So what’s your Valentine manga?
By Toru Fujisawa. Released in Japan by Kodansha, serialized in the magazine Weekly Shonen Magazine. Released in North America by Vertical.
Another volume of 14 Days, and the lessons remain the same. Don’t let your past define you, don’t become a bad person just because society thinks you are, there are other people who really do care about you, etc. The telling of this can be somewhat melodramatic, but that works in the story’s favor, to be honest. Onizuka and his story is larger than life. Moreover, to every teenager who thinks their problems are the ABSOLUTE WORST EVER, every decision they make and conflict they have is this dramatic. Indeed, it’s telling that Kikuchi and Urumi’s solution on how to break Miko is simply to ramp *up* the drama.
That said, my favorite part of the volume came in between crises, as Shinomi gets back to the White Swan and runs into Urumi, who’s hanging out after assisting Onizuka with Miko. Seeing the most popular girl in Shonan Jun’ai Gumi meet the most popular girl in GTO is sort of a fan dream, and at the start it goes exactly as we’d expect: Urumi instantly identifies Shinomi as a threat and starts to systematically make her feel small and cornered, with the help of money and a typically oblivious Onizuka.
The best comes in the bath, however, when Urumi learns that Shinomi hasn’t actually gotten anywhere with Onizuka, and realizes that they’re not rivals but the same – doomed to be the ‘little sister’ who can’t be seen romantically. And the tension in Urumi *instantly* dissolves, as she suddenly regards Shinomi as someone to confide in (I don’t think she ever did that in GTO, so it’s impressive). They’re both probably correct, by the way – I suspect if Onizuka ever does end up with anyone in the future of GTO, it’ll be Fuyutsuki, simply as he actually sees her as a possible romance. In any case, Urumi’s juvenile solution to their frustration, and Shinomi going along with it, is a pitch-perfect ending to the scene.
Unfortunately, the real world is due to come crashing into the series. Despite a chapter that pushes the bounds of ridiculousness by having Onizuka literally fly for over a mile. The mayor of Shonan proves to be the sort who wants anything that might be a problem to simply go away till he’s re-elected, and his slimeball assistant appears to want to take advantage of that by having some of the ‘White Swan’ kids returned to the loving arms of their parents – even if those parents are abusive scum. Which means that, with only two volumes of the series to go after this, we may end up right back where we started, with Sakurako being in danger.
For all that Miko and Riko were a credible threat to Onizuka in the past couple of volumes, there was no doubt that they wouldn’t be won over (kicking their deadbeat dad into the harbor likely helped out a lot there). These guys, though, are far less likely to simply be misunderstood or uncaring. Yes, GTO may tell you that you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and move forward, but it never diminishes what you’ve been through. Which makes this new threat all the more scary. That said, this is Onizuka, and I look forward to seeing how he takes it out.
MJ: There’s a lot to choose from at Midtown Comics this week, yet even with so many lovely choices at hand, I’m going to risk sounding like a broken record and cast my vote once again for the latest volume of GTO: 14 Days in Shonan. I just can’t help it! This series has charmed me so completely and unexpectedly that it easily grabbed a spot at the top of my list of favorites in 2012. Volume seven comes out this week, and I can’t wait to read it!
MICHELLE: I picked Sailor Moon last week, so I’ll pick something else. Man, there is a lot of good stuff on that list, but like MJ, I am going to have to go with an old favorite.
Skip Beat! in its 30th volume still feels fresh to me, and it’s a series that I am already looking forward to rereading and it’s not even done yet. That doesn’t happen to me very often!
SEAN: Indeed, lots of stuff I could pick, but I keep coming back to Devil and Her Love Song. It’s a rare shoujo series where I want to see the villain redeemed as much as the heroine, but that’s where I’ve ended up with this one, where I find myself really hating what Anna is doing while desperately wanting someone to break through to her. And that’s not even getting into the giant mess that Maria’s life is. Combine that with a wicked sense of humor at times, and it’s almost enough to get past the fact that their horrible teacher is STILL THERE.
ANNA: I’ll go with Dawn of the Arcana, Vol 8, a rare shojo series that focuses more on interesting world building and political machinations than romance.
Readers, what looks good to you this week?
By Ken Akamatsu. Released in Japan as “Mahou Sensei Negima!” by Kodansha, serialized in the magazine Weekly Shonen Magazine. Released in North America by Kodansha Comics.
First off, I will admit that this reads a lot better in collected format than it did in weekly chapters. The parts of the story that really aggravated me are confined to the latter third of the book, and there is some honest attempt at character building and attempting to wrap things up. But overall, this is still Ken Akamatsu, after an exciting 18-volume arc of fighting and apocalypse, going back to Mahora Academy and simply coasting on fanservice for a while. And, at least in the West, he found himself up against a fandom that was now reading Negima almost entirely for the action and drama, and hated the fanservice. This is a big problem if you’re Ken Akamatsu.
Where the story works well is when it’s capturing the fallout from the Magic World arc. Setsuna, as Eva points out, can’t deal with being a soldier in peacetime, and is still (still!) upset with her base desires for Konoka, not to mention finding out that Asuna is a princess. Her heroic self-loathing can be quite amusing, but it’s also a very annoying side to her, and so I was somewhat torn between laughing and wanting to smack her. Of course, all that class distinction goes right out the window when she finds out what Negi and Asuna’s plan for saving the magic world is. It’s a big but workable sacrifice for Negi, but a huge and appalling sacrifice for Asuna, and Setsuna is justifiably appalled that she’s avoiding telling anyone what she has to do. More on this in the final volume…
There are some other good chapters. Chisame spent most of the Magic World arc filling in for Asuna as Negi’s tsukkomi and adviser, and now that they’ve returned suddenly finds that she hates being out of the loop. Yue gets shorter shrift, but finally manages to recover the memories from the past year, ironically triggering them by confessing to Negi. Unfortunately, this then leads to the rest of the book, where Haruna and Misa (a truly disastrous combination who should never be allowed to plan anything together ever) decide that Negi ‘leading on’ all these girls by his natural-born charisma, and not responding to any of their love confessions (despite his age – I wonder if he’s turned 11 by now) makes him an enemy of women.
Earlier in the volume we had a chapter or so devoted to a giant fight between Negi and Eva, fanservice for those who like that sort of thing. And at the end of the manga we get a giant wacky chase, which Akamatsu loves to do (see my recent review of the 4th Love Hina omnibus) and which never fails to annoy me, as it always has people acting out of character for the sake of comedy schtick. Combined with far more nudity than usual (let’s just say Negi sneezes quite a bit this volume) and you have Akamatsu specializing in many of my least favorite scenarios.
There’s also the fact that Negima ends in the next volume, and there seem to be an insane amount of loose ends that still haven’t been tied up. Negi’s parents, the whole plan with Asuna – it won’t end the way it’s suggested, unless this series goes really dark – and of course which girl wins. And behind the scenes, Akamatsu and his editors at Weekly Shonen Magazine are (allegedly) having a bit of a tiff. How will this all shake out? Well… see you next time.
By Naoko Takeuchi. Released in Japan as “Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon” by Kodansha, serialized in the magazine Nakayoshi. Released in North America by Kodansha Comics.
I have so many things to say about this volume of Sailor Moon that I’m not even sure where to begin, so please forgive me if I start to ramble. For those of you wondering what’s going on, the Senshi are dealing with the Dead Moon Circus and Chibi-Usa’s getting visions of a pegasus who’s looking for the Legendary GOLDEN Crystal. Meanwhile, all the senshi have found themselves unable to transform and are wondering if this means their duties are over… and whether they can start to follow their dreams.
The volume opens with each of the four Inner Senshi discussing their dreams of the future. Ami wants to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a doctor, Rei likewise wants to succeed her grandfather (who I’d forgotten looks nothing like his anime counterpart) at the shrine. Makoto wants to be a wife and baker; and Minako of course dreams of being an idol singer. As we move on, it’s not limited to just them. Not only do the Outer Senshi find themselves living in a small bubble of ‘perfect happy family’ that seems like a dream, but even the Amazoness Quartet, this arc’s minor villains, use the same language – getting their freedom to move in the real world is referred to as their dream.
The first three chapters also remind us that many of the senshi have family issues. Ami’s mother is really too busy to give her the care she needs (though notably she seems to show remorse about it, unlike a lot of ‘education mama’ portrayals of Ami’s mother I’ve seen), and her father essentially ran away and divorced them a few years prior. Rei’s mother died soon after she was born, and her dad is a government minister who has no time for his daughter and has sent her off to live at the shrine. (As we’ll find in a later short story, he *is* as unpleasant as he sounds.) And Makoto’s parents are both dead, and she’s living on her own with the traditional manga “where the hell does she get the money to afford that place” apartment.
The Amazon Trio (who, this being the manga, are barely characterized and killed off right away) thus have no trouble finding ways to get into the girls’ heads and try to tempt them away from their true calling. Preying on Ami’s loneliness and abandonment issues, Rei’s sense of duty and how oppressive that can feel, and Makoto’s indecision and feelings of being weak. Naturally, in the end, each finds the inner strength to go on (in Jupiter’s case, MONSTER STRENGTH, a line that had me laughing hard) and are able to transform, power up, gain new attacks, and wipe out the enemy. (Though not, notably, the Quartet, who always get away. Maybe it’s because they always work in a group, rather than on their own like the previous minor villains. You’d almost think they were friends…)
And then there’s Minako, who has issues of her own. She’s supposed to be the leader of the Inner Senshi, after all (something the anime quietly dropped), and is rather upset that they can all now transform and she still cannot. What’s more, the other three are all mentioning the Outers more and more – how inspirational they find them, the good advice they received from them, and how it would be great if they could show up to help everyone out. This makes Minako even more annoyed, as she never really bonded with them the way the others did, and is unable to offer advice as she’s still powerless. We see in the previous chapters each Inner thinking of advice from their Outer mentor – Ami with Setsuna, Rei with Michiru and Makoto with Haruka. Clearly that would leave Hotaru for Minako, but as she’s a baby right now that doesn’t really happen.
(Speaking of which, when did all these chats and bonding with the Outers actually happen? Between S and SuperS, or in the bits we didn’t see between S? Also, I know that Minako and Hotaru is quite a popular fanfic crack pairing, and I wonder if this might be a reason why.)
In many ways, this parallels an episode of the S anime, where Minako is frustrated that she’s the only one who hasn’t been attacked by the enemy. Here she charges forward into the enemy’s trap (and yes, she’s quite aware it’s a trap) in an attempt to make herself power up through sheer force of will. Unfortunately, what this leads to is her being dropped off of a tall platform, and the only thing holding her up is Artemis. Ignoring the physics of that for a moment, this resonates the best of the four Inner Senshi stories. Ami and Makoto had tiny little versions of themselves gibing them pep talks, and although Rei and Phobos and Deimos turn human briefly, we’d never seen her interact with her crows in quite the same way. But Minako and Artemis are partners (in a way that Usagi and Luna will never be), and when Minako thinks he’s been killed she’s heartbroken.
Artemis’s transformation into a white-haired handsome bishie would likely be less startling to those who read the manga when it first came out (they’d already seen a side-story where Luna did the same, which was adapted into the S movie), and it’s presented as sort of a powerup, much as the senshi go from Planet Power or Star Power to Crystal Power, Artemis is now strong enough to turn human in times of need. This is turn allows Minako to find the strength to make her own transformation.
In the meantime, as I noted, the Outers are living an idyllic life in a mansion somewhere. Haruka’s racing idiots on the highway, Michiru’s recording CDs (and getting hit on), Setsuna is doing important research, and Hotaru… now seems to be about 5 years old. And is quoting Yeats. The Senshi of Destruction quoting The Second Coming is never a good sign. She has her memories as Hotaru, her memories as Saturn, and these new memories of growing up with the Outers all in her head, and it’s turned her into quite the little prodigy. Of course, she also has her deep bond with Chibi-Usa, and knowing that she’s in trouble leads to her age up, again (this time to about 12, it seems), and unite the other Outers to do the same. It’s the sort of scene you want to see set to music, and is beautiful, inspiring, and a bit scary all at once.
In the meantime, what of our leads? Well, poor Mamoru is once again suffering by being the one who is always targeted. This time it’s shadows on the lung, which then becomes coughing up black blood – and even worse, it seems to be contagious, something we find at the very end of this volume when Usagi starts to cough as well. The ‘swapped bodies’ cliffhanger from last time is resolved fairly quickly (though not before Usagi tries to cuddle up with Mamoru in her chibi body, and finds that though he likes ’em young, that’s a little *too* young). Most of the book has Chibi-Usa trying to figure out what’s going on with Pegasus, which is a combination of ‘I want to save him from the bad guys’ and ‘he transformed into a hot guy what are these feelings in my heart?’. This, by the way, leads to the other big funny moment in the volume, where Chibi-Usa imagines talking about her unicorn wannabe-boyfriend with the other Inners, and quickly realizes Makoto is the only conversation that wouldn’t be a disaster.
I seem to have gone on a bit. Suffice to say this book was basically everything I wanted it to be, gave me tons of character stuff to analyze (giving lie to the anime fans saying the manga characters are too dull), and had huge roles for Minako and Hotaru, my two favorite senshi. And, if I recall, the next volume is just as good, and will wrap up the SuperS arc. Get it!
SEAN: 3 new volumes next week, two of which are my own pets so… First of all, Vol. 4 of The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer (yes, yes, Hoshi no Samidare), which, like Viz’s recent license One-Punch Man, seems to me to be an attempt to do Western-style superhero drama. Its combination of friendship and nihilism is quite addicting.
MJ: You make that sound oddly alluring.
MICHELLE: Indeed.
SEAN: I’ve reviewed both volumes of Wonder! to date, and will no doubt be reviewing this one as well, as it has one of the absolute best qualities of any manga series: the ability to make me talk and talk at length about it. I do wonder if it will pick up the slight bombshell dropped at the end of Vol. 2, but suspect that may be another “Oh, Japan…” moment.
MJ: Well, now I feel like I should read it, too! I do like to talk.
MICHELLE: We could make it one of our tandem reads for a future Off the Shelf.
SEAN: Lastly, those first two series come out once in a blue moon, whereas we’ve already had 3 volumes of Crime and Punishment: A Falsified Romance in two months. This one’s on the fast track, and I suspect is a publisher favorite. Not sure if that’s JManga or Futabasha, though.
MJ: There are several series I’d like to see come out a bit faster at JManga—generally long shoujo or BL epics that inspire in me the urge to marathon. I suppose that isn’t the smartest way to put things out, but I wish they’d hit the fast track as well.
MICHELLE: I’m really grateful about the ones I follow that are on that track, but yeah, I am waiting on updates for some as well.
SEAN: Short but sweet. What are you downloading (or is it clouding)?
SEAN: I knew there would be a pile this week, and indeed there is a pile. I already talked about the Kodansha stuff last week, as I anticipated this, so to sum up: Fairy Tail 23, the third and final Genshiken omnibus, the last Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations, the penultimate Negima, and a new and fantastic Sailor Moon.
Meanwhile, that still leaves a lot. Dark Horse has Vol. 26 of Gantz, which no doubt is filled with latex, boobs, and blood-soaked gore. I like one of the author’s other works a whole lot, but this series just never grabbed me.
MICHELLE: I was kept away from this one by reviews, and will probably be staying away.
MJ: Same here. It’s sad, too, because I generally like to support Dark Horse manga. I wish I thought I could like it.
SEAN: Udon has a title that is not via Capcom (to my knowledge), but still seems to be video-game based: Sengoku Basara: Samurai Legends Vol. 2. It’s like Son Goku, only with an e! And… probably not a lot like the shoujo manga Basara at all.
MICHELLE: Probably not.
MJ: Heh.
SEAN: Vertical has Vol. 7 of GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, which is now in its last third. The twins arc may be wrapped up here, but that doesn’t mean things are back to normal. In fact, we may be getting even more serious than before.
MICHELLE: I am several volumes behind on this now. Bad me.
MJ: My eyes are filled with little hearts as I read this. Oh, GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, how I love thee! Thankfully, my crush on Eikichi Onizuka is slightly less embarrassing than the one I had on Morimoto Rockstar.
SEAN: And the rest is GIANT PILE O’ VIZ. First off, Vol. 8 of Ai Ore!. The series apparently doesn’t end here, but as Mayu Shinjo is busy with many other projects, it’s on hold right now, so this will be the last for a while.
MICHELLE: Oh, really? Crap. I was hoping I could be finished with it once and for all.
MJ: Some nightmares never end.
ANNA: I feel like the lone apologist for Ai Ore!, but really the later volumes of the series that I’ve read have been pretty funny. And Demon Love Spell is a hoot. I seriously wish more Mayu Shinjo titles were translated over here. Oh! Maybe Viz will put Sensual Phrase on the iPad, that would be awesome.
SEAN: I generally like Ai Ore more the more that it comically abuses its hero. As for Sensual Phrase, I suspect it’d get M-rated off the tablet devices, unfortunately.
Bleach has an omnibus of Vols. 10-12, which if I recall are right in the middle of the Soul Society arc, so should be a lot of fun.
MJ: Oh, I really miss those days!
SEAN: Bleach also has Vol. 55 of its current run, which is the start of this current arc, I think. Kubo said a while back this would be the last arc, but that doesn’t mean he’s not taking his own sweet time about it as always.
Dawn of the Arcana hits Vol. 8, meaning I’m farther and farther behind. Ah well. At least digital manga doesn’t go out of print. (Yet – I don’t want that thrilling new trend anytime soon.)
MICHELLE: I’m planning to get caught up on Dawn of the Arcana this week, as a matter of fact.
MJ: I’ve suddenly gotten hooked on this series, so I’m quite happy about this!
ANNA: I like the way Dawn of the Arcana seems to be a bit more concerned with world building and geopolitics than romance, it makes it a little different from the average shoujo title.
SEAN: Devil and Her Love Song 7 its right in the exact middle of the series, and so things are clearly only going to get worse for our heroine. I do hope Anna sticks around, though, as I know there’s a good friendship with Maria buried somewhere deep deep DEEP down in there.
MJ: This is also a shoujo series I can’t seem to get enough of, though of course it’s very different.
ANNA: Always good to see another volume of this quirky series!
SEAN: Kamisama Kiss hits a dozen volumes, twice that of Karakuri Odette! This one’s still going strong, though, and apparently features cutie Himemiko, who finds dating is even harder when you’re a yokai.
MICHELLE: Here are a couple more shoujo series that I like but am behind on.
ANNA: Yay! Kamisama Kiss is one of my never-fail feel good shojo reads.
SEAN: Naruto also has a 3-in-1 with Vols. 10-12, which I’m sure I will catch up with ANY DAY NOW.
And as for Naruto 60, well, Sasuke’s back. That pretty much sums it up. Talk amongst yourselves.
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan left a lot of things hanging last time, and this volume… at least gets a little closer to them. Don’t expect the arc to end here, though. Shiibashi is no Kubo, but he’s still slow.
One Piece is one omnibus ahead of its fellows, as we get Vol. 13-15, which is starting the Baroque Works arc. These volumes have Mr. 3 and Miss Golden Week, two of my favorites from that group of villains. As well as Vivi, of course.
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Platinum has hit 7 volumes, and I still know nothing about it.
And Skip Beat! has hit Vol. 30! Does this make it the longest running shoujo series from Viz? Red River was only 28… In any case, the danger of method acting rears its ugly head again.
MICHELLE: Nope. Boys Over Flowers was 37 (including Jewelry Box).
MJ: I can’t believe I read the whole thing…
ANNA: I do not regret reading 37 volumes of Boys Over Flowers and I will not regret reading 30+ volumes of Skip Beat!
SEAN: Do you realize there are only 6 more volumes of Slam Dunk to go? How has this snuck up on us all?
MICHELLE: I am all too aware of it! I like to save the series up and read it in chunks, so when I finished volume 26 for last week’s briefs I realized that the next chunk would also likely be the last chunk! I’m already going through withdrawal.
SEAN: Stepping on Roses has come to a close with Vol. 9. One day I will get an awesome shoujo manga series about a girl who is forced to chose between two men and shogi, and chooses shogi. This is not that day.
MICHELLE: Oh, I forgot about this one! It’s pretty dumb, but I might as well finish it.
MJ: I gave this series up ages ago, and I don’t regret a thing! I am sad to hear, however, that it never turned into a shogi manga.
ANNA: I am sad that Stepping on Roses wasn’t as good as Tail of the Moon, because I love that series so much.
SEAN: Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee adds Volume 12 to its arsenal, and I add another shonen series I never really kept up with to my long, long list.
MICHELLE: I have a bunch of volumes I intend to read one of these days.
SEAN: Tenjo Tenge hits is final omnibus with Vol. 11, meaning it’s finally completely out uncensored. Though I suspect most of the guys who complained about CMX are merely clutching their scanlations to their bosoms and muttering “But the font wasn’t the right type! BOYCOTT!”
MJ: This seems certain.
SEAN: Lastly, Vol. 14 of Toriko introduces a new pretty boy into the cast – one who’s really good with knives! There’s something a bit strange about this pretty boy, though…
MICHELLE: …. aaaaand the same thing I said about Tegami Bachi applies to Toriko as well.
SEAN: Isn’t that a lot of manga? What’s in your pile?
This week, MJ, Sean, and Michelle look at recent releases from VIZ Media, Yen Press, and Vertical, Inc.
Dawn of the Arcana, Vol. 6 | By Rei Toma | VIZ Media – I’m sadly behind on this series, but fortunately it’s turned out to be something that’s worth savoring. After a couple of relatively slow sections (perked up mainly by the introduction of more Ajin who are, frankly, damn cute), volume six begins with some real payoff, as Princess Nakaba finally learns why her ability to see the future is something likely to cause her tremendous grief and regret. This kind of internal struggle (by which I mean one that is finally more complex than just choosing between love interests) with its rather terrifyingly high stakes and potential for personal turmoil is exactly what Nakaba needed in order to become the best kind of shoujo heroine, and I’ll be forever grateful for it. What was once a casual read now moves to must-have status. Recommended. – MJ
Limit, Vol. 3 | By Keiko Suenobu | Vertical, Inc. – Despite being incredibly angsty and no doubt corpse-filled eventually, this series continues to keep my interest simply by being really well-written. I admit I’m not wild over the new guy showing up, mostly as he hasn’t really been developed beyond ‘he’s a nice cute guy in class everyone likes’. But I’m sure later volumes will show his inner turmoil too. Speaking of which, Morishige’s backstory is incredibly horrible, and definitely explains much of her behavior. The goal here seems to be about surviving while not losing whatever humanity you have, as well as re-evaluating what true friendships are (something I wouldn’t wish on teenagers). As for the cliffhanger ending, I was hideously unsurprised, but I wasn’t really meant to be, and it looks like after a volume with some hope, things are going to go bad fast in Vol. 4. Definitely recommended.-Sean Gaffney
Skip Beat!, Vol. 30 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | VIZ Media – I hope no one’s tired of me talking about new volumes of Skip Beat! as they come out, ‘cos here’s another one. And, actually, it’s quite a bit different than most. Kyoko and Ren are still acting as the Heel siblings, but when Ren ends up breaking character in a rehearsed fight against a co-star who used to be a thug himself, Kyoko starts really worrying. What’s worse is that Ren didn’t realize that he’d done it at first, and subsequently spends a lot of time worrying if Kuon is just going to take over (as if he’s a completely different personality). The tense and freaky atmosphere of “something’s really wrong with Ren” is riveting and how Kyoko handles the situation has got me positively antsy to have the next volume ASAP. I didn’t think I’d be surprised by the thirtieth volume of a series, but with Skip Beat! I guess I should’ve known better. – Michelle Smith
Slam Dunk, Vol. 26 | By Takehiko Inoue | VIZ Media – The Shohoku baseketball team has advanced to the second round of the national championships, where their opponent is last year’s victors. Although the opposing team is largely forgettable—seriously, I could not remember any of their names despite reading them over and over—the volume’s still a really satisfying one, since Coach Anzai’s strategy involves letting different players on the team have the spotlight for a time. It starts with Mitsui, who deserves some glory after toiling in the background for a while, but then Anzai makes the radical decision to let Sakuragi take the lead and Sakuragi doesn’t screw it up. No, he hasn’t suddenly gotten mature or anything, but he’s been working so hard that he surprises everyone with his skills. I’m just a sucker for these sorts of sports manga “progress moments,” I guess, and having Sakuragi as someone the team can truly depend on makes me feel kind of sniffly. – Michelle Smith
Soul Eater, Vol. 12 | By Atsushi Ohkubo | Yen Press – There’s not as much weird art and architecture in this volume, which ends up being good as it makes me focus on the plot and characters a bit more. And remember a few more names! (Hi, Kilik!) And it’s a good plot,k too, as our heroes finally start to storm Arachne’s fortress… with their new adviser, Medusa. Which is as screwed-up as it sounds, and no one remotely trusts her a bit. They even remind us that she’s still possessing the body of a 5-year-old with her mind-snake things. Grlk. I also appreciate that no matter how dark and creepy tings get, there’s always an amusing gag just a few pages along – even from the villains. Especially from the villains. Yen seems to be releasing this series a bit faster now, which is good, as I really am starting to get addicted to it.-Sean Gaffney
By Ken Akamatsu. Released in Japan by Kodansha, serialized in the magazine Weekly Shonen Magazine. Released in North America by Kodansha Comics.
I admit I put this volume on the back burner for a while. If ever there was a series that reminded me how much one can change and grow in 10-12 years, it’s Love Hina, which has lost a lot of the luster it originally had. This is an omnibus of three parts, appropriately since it covers three volumes. The first is the best, as Mutsumi helps to draw Naru closer to Keitaro and he heads off to America for a sabbatical. The second volume is all about introducing Kanako, Keitaro’s adopted sister and reader identification figure. Lastly, Keitaro returns and everything goes south for Naru, as the final volume is a chase of epic proportions to try to get Naru to admit her feelings or die. Die being what she’d prefer, really.
I tend to defend Naru a lot, mostly as the people who hate her tend to use sexist, horrible imagery in that hate, like many of the worst bashers in any fandom. Their hate is summed up by “she needs to be more nice to me… I mean him” and multiple uses of the word ‘bitch’. That said, Naru is certainly at her most frustrating here, dragging out the ‘do I really love him’ question to appalling lengths. Naru’s terrified of the future and things going wrong, and I completely identify with that. But add in Akamatsu’s comedic exaggeration and you want to cry at how much she can run away from her own problems. The end of this volume has her literally running away until there is no land mass left, to the northernmost tip of Japan.
Things are not helped at all by Kanako. I’ve mellowed a bit on Kanako over the years, and can see the appeal of a character who is designed to come in and call everyone out on the crap they’ve been giving Keitaro the last few years. Her naivete and hero-worship of her brother comes through quite well, and I liked the bond she forms with Naru (no surprise there, given Naru and Keitaro’s similarities). And given this was written in the late 90s rather than the early 10s, the incest subtext is meant to be creepy and wrong, for once. Kanako also gives us my favorite joke of the volume, where she dresses Mutsumi up as Keitaro to test everyone’s love… complete with ‘attachments’, so to speak. (“My brother’s would be at least that big.”)
I was reading this volume on public transport, which could be awkward at times. After a while, all the fanservice in Love Hina tends to mesh together so much you don’t notice it anymore, which is surprising given it’s everywhere. Characters are nude or near-nude through all three volumes of this, reminding me once more that Magazine skews much older than Jump or Sunday. And that’s not even counting the goth-loli Kanako, or everyone dressed as maids, or the Halloween costumes, or all the other service that’s here. Akamatsu works hard to please his audience, but you feel a little guilty about it all.
Honestly, any chance to read more Mutsumi is always welcome for me, but Love Hina is a classic example of what should have been a nine-volume manga dragged out to 14. Luckily, that means the next omnibus (only two volumes) is the last, and should wrap everything up for Naru and Seta. Oops, I mean Keitaro. Yeah, best save that little issue for Vol. 5’s review…
MJ: Midtown’s list this week includes a mix of genuinely new releases and a few Yen Press titles that most stores received a while ago, and I’m going to use that as an excuse to once again take up the call for Kaoru Mori’s A Bride’s Story, volume four of which is hitting Midtown’s shelves this week. This is a particularly fun volume, featuring two new characters who contribute considerable pep to this generally quiet series, without compromising any of its wistful charm. As a result, this is probably the series’ warmest volume so far—which is always a draw for me. And of course, it’s beautiful to look at as always.
MICHELLE: Because I am a terrible person and haven’t even started A Bride’s Story, I’m going to go off-list and note that Amazon lists volume nine of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon as coming out this week. And can I ever resist the chance to pick Sailor Moon? No, I cannot.
SEAN: Yeah, given that this and Vol. 10 are my favorite parts of the Sailor Moon manga entirely, there’s no way I’m not picking it. It has chapter focuses for each of the Inners, and tops it off with a chapter devoted to the Outers that is flawless and perfect (it was so perfect the anime had to put it in the Stars anime sort of retroactively as it was simply impossible to not adapt). And it has the Amazoness Quartet, some of my favorite mini-villains. It is simply fabulous, you will all buy it.
ANNA: I’ll just go with Limit #3. Since volume two ended on a bit of a cliffhanger I am particularly anxious to see what is going to happen next to the schoolgirl bush crash victims.
Readers, what looks good to you this week?
By Asuka Katsura. Released in Japan as “Soko Wa Bokura No Mondai Desu Kara” by Ohta Shuppan, serialized in the magazine Manga Erotics F. Released in North America by JManga.
I… am not sure where even to begin. What the heck was this? Not since Sasameke have I been left with such a feeling of vague confusion and disgust. This one didn’t have quite the kick in the balls ending that Sasameke did, but it certainly matches it for weird gag humor out of nowhere and appalling over-the-top grotesqueries being presented as comedic. Which, to be fair, works at first, but as the manga goes on and tries to also have a real plot, the flaws inherent in the entire work become more apparent.
Given that the manga actually tries to have a plot, I suppose I should sum it up. Yaeko is a high school girl who reacts cutely whenever she’s tormented (or, more accurately, reacts in a highly amusing way), and thus has always been prey for perverts who want to dress her up, strip her, seduce her, or just rape her. Including her family. And her best friend, who in fact rapes her at knifepoint in the first chapter. While escaping said best friend by running nude through the streets at night, she’s helped by Rokuro, a gorgeous man carrying a teddy bear… who happens to match the description of a guy who’s been propositioning little kids around the neighborhood. After a series of misunderstandings, she injures his right hand, only to discover he has a high-stress job that absolutely needs doing. And so she moves in with him to be his right hand while it heals.
The reader, honestly, is meant to identify with the perverts here, as Yaeko’s reactions to everything are the best part of the manga. They are so over the top it goes beyond comedy into farce, and she frequently will be dressed as, say, a soldier or a Greek Statue for one panel only. She’s obsessed with proving that Rokuro is a lolicon, to the extent that she tries to frame him by going to a park and telling kids to pose for photos (realizing, a bit late, that this makes her a pervert – she’s even wearing the standard manga pervert outfit). Her complete lack of common sense is what drives the humor, along with her need to scream almost every line.
Sadly, Rokuro is not nearly as interesting – or indeed interesting at all. In the final chapter, we get an attempt at a backstory that explains his retiring personality and his tendency to chat up little kids, but for most of the story he’s a non-entity who exists to make Yaeko panicked and insane. He has a faux-girlfriend who (naturally) has a shotacon complex, who mostly seems to inhabit the manga so that the two of them have a third character to bounce stress off of. (Yaeko’s best friend, for obvious reasons, doesn’t fit this description. Which is a shame, as she was easily the most appalling (and therefore funny) part of this whole manga.)
I suspect this worked better serialized, but even them I think I’d be exhausted by the end of 20 pages or so. The author is better known for Blood+ and La Portrait de Petite Cosette, neither of which I believe are anything whatsoever like this. It has little to no internal logic, tries to tack on a heartwarming ending that is then ruined by both its heroine and hero, and is amazingly offensive at times (and by at times, I mean most of the volume). I will admit that I laughed at first at many of the situations, but by the time the final chapter rolled around, I was exhausted. (There were also several typos and misspellings, more than usual for a JManga release.)
I can’t possibly recommend this, as it’s bad, but if you’re in the mood to stare at your screen with your mouth open, you may want to try Chapter 1. If nothing else, it’s very different from anything else JManga has put out, and indeed any other Manga Erotics F titles I’ve seen.
SEAN: No new series on the last day of January, but we do get a new volume of a series I adore, even if I am seeing it for a 2nd time.
Joshi Kosei, aka High School Girls, hits Vol. 5. Given that I’m reading more and more manga digitally these days, I am very pleased to see this series come out in that format. It’s big doofy fun, always prepared to sacrifice what little dignity the characters have for comedy, and reveling in female friendships.
MJ: I really should check this out, shouldn’t I?
SEAN: Yes. :)
Elemental Gelade hits Vol. 3 on JManga, which reminds me that Elemental Gelade has also hit Vol. 12 on Comixology. I guess they’re digitalizing the Tokyopop license? Different translations, I assume, but it’s quite weird to see the first digital vs. digital competition.
MJ: The Digital Manga Guild also has this, and I’m not sure if they’re all the same or not!
SEAN: Madame Joker, another in a long line of ‘Manga JManga is putting out that I should read as I’d love it but don’t have the freaking time as they’re putting out piles’, has hit Vol. 4. Madame Joker, AIALLO’MJMIPOTISRAILIBIDHTFTATPOP’ for short.
MICHELLE: I have benevolent feelings towards Madame Joker but I too haven’t found the time to read it. I feel bad having such a lackluster response to next week’s offerings, when I found so much this week to be grateful for, but that’s how it is, I’m afraid.
SEAN: And we also have Vol. 4 of Recorder and Ransell, which I’m sure is adorable and cute and moe, but I simply can’t get past the fact that its premise creeps me out.
So what’ll you have? (Pabst Blue Ribbon: The Manga.)
SEAN: Let’s see if I can sort out this week, given my recent habit of taking Midtown’s list and then ignoring it horribly.
First of all, they’re finally getting in the Yen Press books that most of us got last week or this week. I’ve gone over those already, but FYI they are Black Butler 12, Black God 18, Book Girl and the Undine Who Bore a Moonflower, A Bride’s Story 4, The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan 3, and Soul Eater 12.
Udon has a Super Street Fighter series debuting, with what seems to be Korean artists and American writers. Um… a must for Street Fighter fans? I dunno, I got nothing. How Do I Capcom?
MICHELLE: Yeah, sorry Udon, but this just doesn’t appeal to me.
MJ: I always want to like things with Korean artists, just on principle, but… meh.
SEAN: Vertical has the 3rd volume of Limit, their shoujo experiment that is not selling all that hot so MORE PEOPLE should buy it as it’s excellent. Come on, doesn’t that cute young thing on the cover scream adorable shoujo? I bet there are some wacky misunderstandings in this volume!
MICHELLE: And probably it is Valentine’s Day!
ANNA: I like to think of Limit as a lovely violently cynical sorbet that cleanses the palate of manga readers who have been reading too much shoujo with wacky misunderstandings.
MJ: Mostly I’m just entertained here by all your commentary, but I’ll also note that I’m really looking forward to volume three of Limit.
SEAN: Meanwhile, Kodansha is releasing a lot of stuff next week via Amazon that’s not hitting comic shops till February or later. Given next week also has a pile of Viz, why don’t we run down Kodansha now? If nothing else, it will broaden the Pick of the Week a bit.
First off, Bloody Monday was out this week. It’s up to Volume 9 of about 11, which wraps up the ‘First Season’. I think, when asked about the Second and Third Seasons of the series, Kodansha made ‘well, buy more’ noises. So buy more if you want to read more of ’24: Japan’.
MICHELLE: I really do mean to read this one of these days.
MJ: I enjoyed the first volume, but I guess not enough to propel me further on. Should I feel regretful?
SEAN: Fairy Tail is starting to get ready to speed up, which means more volumes online on its digital Apple-only thing that I don’t use as I don’t have Apple (this grump brought to you by Android), but also print volumes about once a month or so. It hadn’t sped up quite yet, though. In the meantime, we’re still in Edolas, though we may be about to wrap that arc up.
MICHELLE: I occasionally forget that Fairy Tail exists, even though I’ve read 14 volumes of it.
MJ: I’ve never had any interest in Fairy Tail, yet I’d really like to develop some, if only because Hiro Mashima was so incredibly charming at NYCC a couple of years ago. Convince me?
SEAN: Um… it’s good solid shonen, and has finally, I think, stopped trying to be One Piece only for Kodansha. It has a few good female characters, though it waffles quite a bit on how strong they get to be (but that’s typical for most Japanese shonen). It’s quite funny at times, and not in a “boobs!” way. (That said, there are many, many stacked girls here.)
Mostly, though, I think it’s the sort of title that you start of hoping gets better and really improves by the time you’re 16 volumes in and invested in the world. It rewards long-term investment. Which can be a pain, I know.
MJ: Actually, that’s pretty persuasive. Thank you!
SEAN: Genshiken finishes off its Omnibus Releases with the 3rd, covering Vol. 7-9. Nice timing, as I suspect the new anime of Genshiken 2nd Season coming up may spark interest in the first again.
Another series bites the dust, as Vol. 4 wraps up Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations. Barring the appearance of an Apollo Justice manga (don’t hold your breath), this may be it for this franchise for the time being – at least in manga form.
Speaking of series almost being finished, 37 is the 2nd to last volume of Negima. I’ll have a lot to say about this volume and the next. A whole lot. That said, if you like an overabundance of fanservice in the best old-fashioned Akamatsu ways, this is the volume for you.
MICHELLE: Pass!
MJ: Thank goodness we have Sean to care about Akamatsu on our behalf.
SEAN: Aheh. Let’s just say that my comment that Negima should have ended with Vol. 36 will be followed up on. My *least* favorite part of Negima is the naked antics.
SEAN: Lastly, Pluto graces the cover of Sailor Moon Vol. 9, and I think she actually even shows up in this, though not till the end. In the meantime, we’re really delving into the Super S arc now, which means dreams, and mirrors, and unicorns, and lots of Chibi-Usa (though less than you’d expect).
MICHELLE: Yay, Sailor Moon! I might’ve said this last time—probably I did—but the manga version of Super S differs from the anime in that the outer senshi are in it, so it’s worth reading even if that season of the anime wasn’t your favorite. The next volume of the series also includes something nifty that was missing from the anime.
ANNA: More volumes of Sailor Moon are always a thing to celebrate!
MJ: Agreed!
SEAN: There you go, that’s plenty of manga to chew over. What’ve you got?