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A Preliminary NYCC 2014 Schedule

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This year the Thursday that used to just be “Pros and Press” has become a full-blown day, meaning it’s just as busy as the others, if not worse. I also note with trepidation that almost all my panels are in the small panel rooms from last year. Sigh. As always, this is what I have as planned to go to, but it may not reflect what I actually get to.

Thursday:
1:00 – 2:30 Big Hero 6 preview (Main Stage)
2:15 – 3:00 The Mary Sue Presents Fight What You Know (1A14)
3:15 – 4:00 Viz Media Panel (1A14)
5:00 – 5:45 New Simon & Schuster imprint (1B03)
6:00 – 6:45 – Weekly Shonen Jump (1A10)
7:00 – 7:45 LGBT in Comics (1A10)

I may duck out of Big Hero 6 early, as I want to see the Fight What You Know panel, as well as Viz, which is in the same room right after. The new S&S imprint may also fall prey to the dreaded “I have to eat sometime” rule, not to mention the Jump panel will have a huge line. This is a very busy Thursday, but at least it ends for me at a reasonable hour.

Friday:
11:00 – 11:45 Crunchyroll Industry Panel (1A21)
1:15 – 2:00 Yen Press Industry Panel (1A14)
3:15 – 4:00 Damsels in Distress Need Not Apply (1A01) (warning: Gillian Anderson)
4:15 – 5:00 Archie Comics Panel (1A05)
5:00 – 5:45 Takeshi Obata panel (1A10)
8:00 – 8:45 Sailor Moon Panel (1A21) (?)

The questionmark is because I’m not sure if this panel is just a screening. If it is, I’ll skip it. The warning is because “celebrity = very, very long lines”, so it will likely be hard to get into. Yen has, at least, been moved out of the tiny rooms at the back, though the rooms are still small – manga fans, be warned! I suspect I won’t be able to do the Archie panel and the Obata panel.

Saturday:
11:15 – 12:00 The Art of Animation and Saturday Morning Cartoons (1A01)
2:15 – 3:00 IDW Artists (1A14)
3:00 – 3:45 Harrassment in Fandom (1A21)
4:15 – 5:00 Official Sailor Moon Panel (1A14)
5:15 – 6:00 Vertical Manga Panel (1A14)
8:15 – 9:00 Ranma 1 /2 (?)
8:15 – 9:00 Doctor Who Fan Screening (Empire Stage)

Usually Friday is my biggest day, but this year it’s Saturday. You’ll note the same questionmark next to Ranma – if it’s a screening, then I’ll go to see Mummy on the Orient Express, which is what I assume the fan screening is. It’s a packed day from 2-6, but otherwise I should find time for the DR and AA.

Sunday:
2:00 – 2:45 Kodansha Comics (1A18)
3:00 – 3:45 Crunchyroll Manga (1A18)
4:15 – 5pm – Toon Tunes (1A01)

A surprisingly late Kodansha panel, but being my first panel of the day I have time to do everything I didn’t before. Toon Tunes sounds fantastic, but if I’m burned out and just want to take the train home, it may be jettisoned.

Wireless connection allowing, I will be doing daily posts regarding the con every evening. I hope to give you all a lot of great info, news and tidbits about NYCC!

Attack on Titan: Before the Fall

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Attack on Titan: Before the FallAuthor: Ryo Suzukaze
Illustrator: Thores Shibamoto
Translator: Ko Ransom
U.S. publisher: Vertical
ISBN: 9781939130860
Released: September 2014
Original release: 2011

Hajime Isayama’s manga series Attack on Titan has become extraordinarily successful not only in Japan but worldwide as well. The series has inspired numerous manga spinoffs, anime, games, and more. Attack on Titan: Before the Fall is the first of three light novels written by Ryo Suzukaze and illustrated by Thores Shibamoto which serve as a prequel to Isayama’s original series. The second and third novels have been adapted as the manga series Attack on Titan: Before the Fall, illustrated by Satoshi Shiki, which is being released in English by Kodansha Comics. The first Before the Fall novel, however, was licensed and released by Vertical in 2014 with an English translation by Ko Ransom. Currently the novel, which was originally published in Japan in 2011, is chronologically the earliest story set in the Attack on Titan universe. I’m fascinated by the Attack on Titan phenomena and the large fanbase that it has developed, not to mention the series itself, so I was very interested in reading the Before the Fall prequel.

Angel Aaltonen may be young, but his ingenuity is impressive. A master craftsman, he and the others at the workshop he is a part of strive to design, create, and improve the weapons used in humanity’s fight for survival against the Titans. Except that Angel has never actually seen a Titan. Neither has most of the human population which seeks safety within a series of enormous walls. But while for a time they may be safe, they are also trapped by their own defenses. Only the members of the Survey Corps and Garrison forces have directly confronted the Titans, gigantic monstrosities that devour humans and bring destruction and terror. Even more dire is the fact no one knows how to stop or defeat the Titans. Angel and many others fear that one day the unthinkable will happen and the walls will fail. They are determined to discover the Titan’s weaknesses before that can happen, but the existing political and religious situation will make that prospect even more difficult than it already is to accomplish.

Most of the stories in Attack on Titan as a whole follow those characters who serve in the military–the people who are on the front lines directly fighting the Titans. Before the Fall, however, focuses on those who work behind the scenes to make those battles possible–the scientists, craftsmen, and engineers. (Granted, by the end of Before the Fall, Angel has become fairly hands-on himself.) It’s an interesting approach, giving a slight spin to an already familiar story, and one that I particularly liked and appreciated. Among other things, Before the Fall shows the development of some of the most iconic technology in Attack on Titan, the three-dimensional maneuvering gear. But as intriguing as the story is in Before the Fall, sadly the writing itself isn’t particularly engaging and the novel ends up being fairly slow going despite several intense action sequences. There were also a few frustratingly obvious oversights made by the characters; I found it difficult to believe that their logic would have been so flawed. Ultimately, I liked the premise of Before the Fall much more than its execution.

Although the writing might not be the best, where Before the Fall excels is in providing Attack on Titan with more thoroughly grounded worldbuilding, backstory, and lore. Suzukaze not only explores the development and creation of the equipment and weapons that will be used to fight the Titans, he also shows the beginning of the unrest between the general population, the military and government, and the religious cults and factions. There is enough of a basic introduction to the world that even readers who aren’t familiar with Attack on Titan should be able to easily follow Before the Fall, but the novel will appeal most to those who already know and enjoy the franchise. Before the Fall doesn’t tend to have the overwhelmingly bleak atmosphere of the original manga series, but it is still definitely a part of Attack on Titan, meaning that there are many casualties and several gruesome and horrifying turns of events. The air of dark mystery generally found in Attack on Titan remains in Before the Fall, as do the desperate punctuations of human hope and determination in the face of annihilation.

Manga the Week of 10/8

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SEAN: Manga. Lots. Let’s go.

It wasn’t on Amazon 2 weeks ago, but now I see there is a release for Volume 9 of Ze. A series whose release dates are almost as convoluted as its content.

ASH: I was wondering what was going on with Ze‘s releases.

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SEAN: Sadly, Kodansha did not stick with the original title for this series, GDGD-DOGS. But Manga Dogs works just as well, and for fans of Missions of Love it’s by the same author, and has another reverse harem.

MICHELLE: Huh. While Missions of Love was not for me, I kind of liked Toyama’s I Am Here!. Still, I dunno… the temptation is pretty faint.

ANNA: I like reverse harem as much as the next gal, but this isn’t really on my radar.

SEAN: And there’s also the 9th volume of Missions of Love as well, featuring the most likeable, well-adjusted cast in all of shoujo.

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: And the 5th volume of Vinland Saga, which is unlikely to get a shoujo spinoff in Aria anytime soon, unless Ylva ends up going to high school in Japan or somesuch.

ASH: I… would actually read that. (And I’m definitely reading Vinland Saga!)

ANNA: I would also read that! Vinland Saga is so well-executed, each new volume is a treat.

SEAN: Seven Seas has the first volume of Magical Girl Apocalypse, which seems to be for folks who thought Madoka Magica to be too light-hearted and cheerful. But hey, Akita Shoten license! A rarity these days.

And there’s a 2nd Strike Witches: 1937 Fuso Sea Incident.

Vertical has an 11th volume of Knights of Sidonia, which I hope will have more cute romance and action sci-fi (and perhaps a bit less tragic horror?).

ASH: One can never tell with Knights of Sidonia.

MICHELLE: I absolutely must get caught back up on this series. Looks like we’ll be caught up to Japan fairly soon, too.

ANNA: I need to get caught up too! I am so pleased that we have so many manga titles set in SPACE!

MJ: This!!

SEAN: The rest is Viz. If you didn’t pick up the 2nd Food Wars! When it came out digitally, it’s now available in print. I’m hoping for slightly less naked food reactions, but I know there will be some.

ASH: I still prefer my manga in print, so I’ve been waiting to pick up the second volume until now.

MICHELLE: I’m actually kinda looking forward to this.

ANNA: I thought that there were glimmerings of an interesting title here, but I have to admit when I read the first volume I was put off by all the upskirt panels and naked food reactions.

MJ: I’m cautiously optimistic.

SEAN: Happy Marriage?! continues to be a very ironic title as we hit Vol. 8.

MICHELLE: This series has grown on me, so I’ll definitely be checking out volume eight.

ANNA: I think it has gotten a bit meandering as the series go along, but I’ll still read every volume shortly after it comes out.

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SEAN: Then there’s Honey Blood, which (say it with me, folks) has vampires in it! The cover art makes me go >_> a bit, but I’m hoping that the relationship in this series is not as unequal as it first seems.

ANNA: Did someone say supernatural shoujo!? I hope this is more like Midnight Secretary than Black Bird. Will be checking it out for sure.

SEAN: Heartwarming supernatural shoujo #1: Kamisama Kiss, which has gotten up to Vol. 16, and shows no sign of ending anytime soon.

MICHELLE: Yay! I like it, but I think I still prefer the author’s Karakuri Odette.

ANNA: I actually like it more than Karakuri Odette! This series is consistently charming.

SEAN: I was a huge fan of the first My Love Story!!, despite the multiple exclamation marks, and look forward to seeing where it goes from here.

ASH: I absolutely loved the first volume of My Love Story!! So much so, here are a few extra !!! for good measure.

MICHELLE: My Love Story!! is a glorious thing. Volume two has been in my Amazon cart for a few weeks now.

ANNA: I have read this volume and loved it just as much as the first!!!!!!!!!

MJ: Definitely looking forward to this… so sweet.

SEAN: Naruto seems to be finally grinding to a slow halt, but that still leaves several volumes to go. And several more times for Sasuke to turn evil.

Heartwarming supernatural shoujo #2: Natsume’s Book of Friends, which has gotten up to Vol. 17, and shows no sign of ending anytime soon.

MICHELLE: Yay! I suppose this means I am a sucker for heartwarming supernatural shoujo.

SEAN: Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan has started its final arc, but that’s going to be a few volumes as well. Here’s the 23rd.

If you missed One Piece the first time around, the 3-in-1 is the perfect catchup, and it’s at Vol. 10.

Oresama Teacher is not supernatural, and I wouldn’t call it consistently heartwarming, but if you want funny shoujo, this is the manga for you, and I adore it. Here’s Vol. 17.

MICHELLE: Maybe it’s the lack of heartwarmitude that makes me only like this one. I catch up on it periodically, but I don’t love it.

ANNA: I do love it, just because it is so ridiculous. This is the only long-running comedy title that has consistently captured my interest.

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SEAN: The new arc in Toriko will apparently focus on Komatsu rather than Toriko, as it’s a cooking battle. Should be fun.

Voice Over: Seiyu Academy is over halfway done, and I’m hoping we see a bit more fleshing out of the male lead soon beyond “CATS”.

MICHELLE: *snerk* I do like the cat bits, though. And, surprisingly, I’m rather enjoying Voice Over.

SEAN: Lastly, we get the debut of a new Jump title as well as its 2nd volume, as Viz pushes a fast start to World Trigger. It’s at 8+ volumes in Japan, so has broken the “early Jump cancellation” curse. Should be interesting.

ASH: I’ve recently heard some good things about World Trigger. And two volumes at once? I may have to check it out.

MICHELLE: Whereas I have heard precisely zero things about it! I’ll wait for Ash’s review to decide.

ANNA: I know nothing about this but I will be reading it!

MJ: I’ll be checking this out for sure.

SEAN: Are you exhausted yet? What manga here makes you want to take it home?

Seven Licenses in Seven Days from Seven Seas

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Non Non Biyori

Non Non Biyori

Seven Seas is announcing seven new licenses in seven days; the first is Non Non Biyori.

And Viz has rescued another Tokyopop title, adding Kyo Kara Maoh to their Viz Select digital line.

ICv2 has the September BookScan numbers, which cover sales of graphic novels in bookstores. There are eight manga on the list, including three volumes of Attack on Titan, plus the spinoff, Attack on Titan: No Regrets; the first volume of Noragami; and the latest volumes of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, One Piece, and Naruto.

Lori Henderson checks out this week’s new manga at Manga Xanadu.

In case you haven’t heard, Takeshi Obata (Death Note, Bakuman, Hikaru No Go) is coming to New York Comic Con.

Reviews

Matthew Warner on vol. 4 of From the New World (The Fandom Post)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 5 of Genshiken: Second Season (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Ash Brown on vol. 7 of Wandering Son (Experiments in Manga)
Ash Brown on vol. 4 of What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Experiments in Manga)

Manga Giveaway: Triton of the Sea Giveaway Winner

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Triton of the Sea, Volume 1And the winner of the Triton of the Sea manga giveaway is…Haley S.!

As the winner, Haley will be receiving a copy of the first omnibus in Osamu Tezuka’s series Triton of the Sea. About a year ago, I came to the realization that I had read quite a few manga that featured merfolk of one sort or another. And so for this giveaway, I was interested in learning about all of the mermaids and mermen that other people had come across while reading manga. I’ve complied a list below of manga that feature merfolk, but be sure to check out the giveaway comments for more details on some of them.

Some of the manga in English featuring merfolk:
Castle of Dreams by Masami Tsuda
Children of the Sea by Daisuke Igarashi
A Centaur’s Life by Kei Murayama
Berserk by Kentaro Miura
The Earl and the Fairy by Ayuko
Legendz written by Rin Hirai, illustrated Makoto Haruno
Mermaid Saga by Rumiko Takahashi
Monster Musume: Everyday Life with Monster Girls by Okayado
Moon Child by Reiko Shimizu
One Piece by Eiichiro Oda
Pichi Pichi Pitch written by Michiko Yokote, illustrated by Pink Hanamori
Princess Mermaid by Junko Mizuno
Selfish Mr. Mermaid by Nabako Kamo
Triton of the Sea by Osamu Tezuka
Tropic of the Sea by Satoshi Kon

I was a little lenient with the definition of merfolk above (mostly because I wanted an excuse to include Daisuke Igarashi’s Children of the Sea) and I’m certain that it’s not a comprehensive list, either. But, it should be a good place to start if you’re looking for some mermen or mermaids in manga. Thank you to everyone who participated in this month’s giveaway; I hope to see you all again for the next one, too!

Astro Boy Sequel in the Works

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The Manga Bookshelf team discusses their Pick of the Week.

Ride Back creator Tetsuro Kasahara is writing a prequel to Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy; the prequel, which is being supervised by Tezuka’s son, Makoto Tezuka, will launch in December in Monthly Hero’s Magazine and will cover the period before Astro Boy was “born.”

At the Tokyopop website, James Perry II talks about the his global manga Orange Crows; the first volume was published by Tokyopop and he self-published the second volume some time later.

News from Japan: A One Piece spinoff, following the further adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates, will launch in December in Shueisha’s Saikyo Jump magazine. Bunny Drop manga-ka Yumi Unita has a new series in the works, Para Para Days, a romantic comedy that will launch in the next issue of Big Comic Spirit.

Reviews: The gang at Manga Bookshelf files this week’s Bookshelf Briefs. Ash Brown discusses a week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga.

A Library Girl on Angel (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
A Library Girl on Angel Nest (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 4 of Attack on Titan (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)
Kristin on vol. 1 of Black Rose Alice (Comic Attack)
Ash Brown on vol. 3 of Dororo (Experiments in Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 6 of GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Kristin on vol. 1 of The Heroic Legend of Arslan (Comic Attack)
Naru on vol. 2 of Kingdom Hearts (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
A Library Girl on vols. 1 and 2 of Mad Love Chase (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Lori Henderson on vols. 1 and 2 of Monster Soul (Manga Xanadu)
Anna N on vol. 2 of My Love Story! (Manga Report)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 7 of Sherlock Bones (Comics Worth Reading)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 4 of Shoulder-A-Coffin Kuro (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Lori Henderson on Sword Art Online: Aincrad (Manga Xanadu)
Sean Gaffney on Time Killers (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Alice Vernon on Umineko: When They Cry (Girls Like Comics)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vols. 2 and 3 of What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Comics Worth Reading)

Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro, Vol. 4

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By Satoko Kiyuduki. Released in Japan as “Hitsugi Katsugi no Kuro – Kaichu Tabi no Wa” by Houbunsha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Manga Time Kirara. Released in North America by Yen Press.

Sometimes, when I’m reading a series with as much ambiguity as this one, I find it difficult to discern which parts I should be picking apart as clues to what’s going on, and which parts I should just let wash over me as part of the overall mood. That’s slowly starting to go away – we get more information on Kuro, Sen and the witch here than in any previous volume – but there’s still large chunks of the story where I feel like I’m trying to connect the dots without a pencil. Luckily, the style and mood of the series are still superior, so it’s an excellent read even if I am sometimes baffled at what’s really going on.

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The volume opens right away with a lot more info than previous ones, as we see a young, grumpy man meet a cute young girl who he reluctantly takes in as his apprentice. The girl is clearly meant to be a young, innocent(ish) Kuro, but the man eludes us at first, until the horrific cursing itself, which we finally see in a bit more detail, and which rebounds horribly on not just Kuro but her master as well. After this flashback, the story (seemingly) picks up where it left off in Volume 3, with Kuro still in a coma and Nijuku and Sanju patiently waiting for her while trying to deal with the fact that her face is starting to fade in their young memories the longer they wait.

Kuro has never been a bright and upbeat series (it’s a contrast with the overtly happy and content GA Art Design Class), but this volume really seem to go above and beyond by dwelling on Kuro’s search for the one who cursed her, which also ties into what is clearly Kuro’s deathwish. We see several stories with Kuro traveling by herself, meeting people who are going on a long train journey, and she plans to go with them but doesn’t seem optimistic. Sure enough, as the train is about to leave she realizes she suddenly left her hat and coffin – which she never lets leave her sight – outside on the platform. You don’t have to read Night of the Galactic Railroad to know what this is a metaphor for.

Once awake and recovered, Kuro’s journey continues, but even then it seems to be a bit more fatalistic. She meets a young girl waiting for her parents who have never come home, and helps convince her to move on with her life. We see a long forgotten kingdom that destroyed itself in search of a perfection that doesn’t actually exist. And Sanju gets a nasty lesson regarding the fragility of things that are not her when she rips the arm off another girl’s cat by “playing too hard”, and they have to deal with the consequences. Kuro makes it very clear in this book that the two young girls she travels with are her “baggage” keeping her tied to this world, far more so than finding the witch who cursed her, and one worries what will happen when they finally have to part.

Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro comes out so infrequently that it can be a hard series to connect with at times, but when you do it rewards the connection handsomely, being thoughtful, intelligent, moody, and somewhat depressing. Kuro’s heavy coffin is a metaphor, but it’s also real, and seeing her without it feels deeply wrong. I do wonder if the next volume might be the last – we seem like we’re near the end of our journey. There will likely be a long wait till we find out, though.

Viz brings Takeshi Obata to NYCC

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If there is one thing that readers of this website can be sure of (okay, there are a number of things, but that’s not the point), it is that I am a Takeshi Obata fangirl. Not only have I repeatedly made noise about the fact that his collaboration with Yumi Hotta, Hikaru no Go, was the series that first got me into manga, I’ve celebrated his work, dissected it, drooled over it, and nearly fainted at the prospect of more. Hikaru no Go was also one of only two shounen series to make my manga top ten a few years ago.

Given all this information, you might well imagine my excitement over Viz’s announcement today that they will be bringing Obata-sensei to New York Comic Con this year. Unfortunately, that excitement is tempered by intense disappointment on my part, as this will be the first NYCC in many years that I am unable to attend. While I’m weeping in the corner, here are the details for those who will be present:

The acclaimed artist of smash hit manga (graphic novel) series such as DEATH NOTE, BAKUMAN, HIKARU NO GO, RALΩGRAD and ALL YOU NEED IS KILL will appear at several events during the 2014 New York Comic Con. Taking place October 9th- 12th at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York Comic Con is the East Coast’s biggest pop culture convention. Full details on the show are available at: www.NewYorkComicCon.com.

During the convention, Takeshi Obata will appear in person on two panels, on Thursday October 9th as part of VIZ Media’s WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP panel and on Friday October 10th with an overview of his incredible catalog of works. He will make an exclusive signing appearance at the Javits Convention Center on Thursday evening.

Takeshi Obata will also make a pair of additional appearances around New York as part of ReedPOP’s New York Super Week on Friday October 10th at Kinokuniya Book Store and Saturday October 11th at Barnes & Noble.

Fans are invited to stop by the VIZ Media Booth (#1944) on Thursday October 9th for details and to secure advance tickets for the exclusive New York Comic Con Takeshi Obata signing, taking place the same day at 7:30pm at the Javits Center. Signing tickets will be distributed on a first come/first served basis promptly at 1:00pm and again at 4:30pm. (There will be no advance line-up until 15 minutes before ticket time). Each attendee that secures a ticket will receive an exclusive shikishi signing board that Obata will autograph.

Fans may also select from a wide array of Obata manga titles available for purchase at the VIZ Media booth, including special advance copies of his newest work, ALL YOU NEED IS KILL, a deluxe omnibus manga treatment of the Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s hit sci-fi novel that inspired the action blockbuster Edge of Tomorrow starring Tom Cruise. It will debut under VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump Advanced imprint on November 4th. Other acclaimed Obata manga titles including DEATH NOTE, BAKUMAN。, HIKARU NO GO and RALΩGRAD will also be available for purchase.

VIZ Media, ReedPOP and The Japan Foundation welcome Takeshi Obata at the following New York Comic Con Panels:

THE FUTURE OF WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP Panel Featuring Takeshi Obata
Thursday, October 9th; 6:00pm – 6:45 pm; Javits Center – Room 1A10
Join the staff of VIZ Media’s WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP as well as editors from Japan’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine to welcome Takeshi Obata for an enlightening personal discussion on what’s new and what’s next for the long-running manga anthology which launched best-selling titles such as NARUTO, BLEACH, ONE PIECE, DRAGON BALL as well as Obata’s BAKUMAN。and DEATH NOTE series.

WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP PRESENTS: Manga Artist Takeshi Obata
Friday, October 10th; 5:00pm – 5:45pm; Javits Center – Room 1A10
Join special guest Takeshi Obata along with his editor, Koji Yoshida, for an insightful conversation about Obata’s beginnings as an artist, his extensive history working in the manga industry, and the creative process behind his works. Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity!

Takeshi Obata also will participate in a pair of special off-site signings as part of New York Super Week.

New York Super Week takes place October 3rd – 12th immediately preceding New York Comic Con and is a unique immersive pop culture event where the entire island of Manhattan becomes a playground for a colorful array of superheroes, villains, cosplayers, artists, celebrities and passionate fans of from all over the world that gather to take part in a variety of themed events all over the City including concerts, comedy shows, gaming events, lectures, podcasts, storytelling, food tastings.

Information & tickets to New York Super Week events are available now at: www.NewYorkSuperWeek.com

Takeshi Obata Kinokuniya Signing Event
Friday, Oct. 10th, 8:30pm
Kinokuniya Book Store, 1073 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10018
Attend a special free evening event with Takeshi Obata, a pivotal figure from Japan’s vibrant manga industry. All participants must secure a Super Week event ticket and will receive a free autographed Shikishi signboard with the on-site purchase of one of Obata’s works. (*Note: Obata will only sign the provided shikishi and on-site purchased book)
Free tickets for this event can be secured here.
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Takeshi Obata Barnes & Noble Signing Event
Saturday, Oct. 11th, 6:00pm
Barnes & Noble – Tribeca, 97 Warren St, New York, NY 10007
Barnes & Noble and VIZ Media welcome Takeshi Obata for another free exclusive appearance as part of New York Super Week. All participants must secure a free Super Week event ticket in advance and will receive an autographed Shikishi signboard with the on-site purchase of one of Obata’s works. (*Note: Obata will only sign the provided shikishi and on-site purchased book)
More information on this event may be viewed here.

*weep* *weep*

Bookshelf Briefs 9/29/14

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This week, Sean, Michelle, & Anna look at recent releases from Seven Seas, Kodansha Comics, & Viz Media.

knight2Alice in the Country of Clover: Knight’s Knowledge, Vol. 2 | By QuinRose and Sai Asai | Seven Seas – I will say this for the creators they rarely take the easy way out and have Alice come to terms with everything and accept that she is loved. She’s a tough nut to crack for a reason – she’s a mess of repressed traumas and griefs, and her low self-image will not let her accept what the others are offering. On the down side, as a long-running manga series where each volume is “who will she end up with and how”, this can be frustrating for the reader, as they really would like Alice to get past her self-esteem issues and choose a man. And of course, in this particular series Ace only loves Alice when she *is* screwed up. This makes for fun times, mostly. – Sean Gaffney

arata19Arata: The Legend, Vol. 19 | By Yuu Watase | Viz Media – Why has it taken me this long to figure out that Kadowaki and Arata are rather like Yui and Miaki from Fushigi Yuugi, in that they are former friends with a history of betrayal who are now foes in a fantasy land? In any case, this volume features the battle against Isora, a sho who fights with runes, basically. After Arata cannot answer whether he considers Kadowaki to be his friend or his enemy, Kadowaki himself suddenly shows up to rescue Arata, who later returns the favor, and it’s all kind of great. Kadowaki is able to understand Isora’s villainous motivations, but Arata seems to realize he really needs to tell Kadowaki that he doesn’t hate him, despite all the torment he suffered at his hands. I’m a sucker for a good redemption story, so found this to be quite a good and satisfying volume. – Michelle Smith

D-Frag2D-Frag!, Vol. 2 | By Tomoya Haruno | Seven Seas – This manga is dedicated to wringing maximum humor from every single character it can. Kazama may be the straight man, but even he’s not above a gag or two, even if it’s just about his being a tsukkomi. As for Takao, her tsundere tendencies are surpassed only by her ability to be physically, mentally and emotionally abused by the rest of the cast. The big surprise here may be Sakura, one of the more forgettable girls in Volume 1; here we see her happy, smiling nature never goes away, even when it should; her takedown of Kazama’s willingness to coast and a brutal and shocking swerve in an otherwise silly and goofball series. But make no mistake about it; darker moments or no, D-Frag! is still all about the humor. – Sean Gaffney

panzer2Girls Und Panzer, Vol. 2 | By Girls Und Panzer Project and Ryohichi Saitaniya | Seven Seas – I have to assume that the audience for this series is going to be drawn to the “cute girls at school doing stuff” premise, rather than the tank battles. It’s still meant to be moe. That said, hope you like tank battles; this manga is devoting as much time as possible to the battlefield and seeing our heroes under fire. Akiyama, the star of the manga series and hyperactive tank fan, is given a command of her own as the new tank hasn’t had time to get a crew yet. She does a commendable job, as her otaku tank knowledge allows her to stay calm in battle. And, of course, everyone learns a valuable lesson about friendship. This manga remains light-hearted and fun, and lovingly filled with tanks. – Sean Gaffney

kamisama16Kamisama Kiss, Vol 16 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – I am really enjoying this storyline, where human turned shrine goddess Nanami has to go back in time to save her fox spirit Tomoe from a terrible curse. The Tomoe she encounters in the past is violent and selfish, but even in his unenlightened state, he finds himself drawn to the human girl despite his better judgement. This volume focuses on the way Nanami’s life becomes further entwined with Yukiji, the human who previously captured Tomoe’s heart. Suzuki’s manga seem to often be at bit more episodic than intricately plotted, but it is interesting to see how both Tomoe’s past and future are bound up in Nanami’s actions. While Nanami tries to fulfill her quest, Akura-oh is stirring up even more trouble. I’m looking forward to seeing if Nanami and Tomoe’s relationship progresses even more when they next meet in the future. – Anna N

library12Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 12 | Original Concept by Hiro Arikawa, Story and Art by Kiiro Yumi | Viz Media – Iku and Dojo go for their chamomile tea date and are adorable. Then they have to pretend to be a normal couple out shopping in order to procure some items for a disguise for an author whose novel was used as the inspiration for terrorist attacks (and now his freedom to write is in jeopardy). And they are adorable. And then Tezuka and Shibazaki foil an attempt to kidnap the author and share some adorable moments of their own. All in all, there were quite a few scenes of proto-couple-y goodness, which I appreciated. At one point, Iku talks of reading the imperiled author’s works for the characters rather than the plot, and I realized… that’s exactly how I feel about Library Wars. The plots always feel flimsy and silly, but they put together characters that I like in a gentle shoujo way, and I can’t really complain about that. – Michelle Smith

midnight7Midnight Secretary, Vol. 7 | By Tomu Ohmi | Viz Media – When the first volume of Midnight Secretary failed to fully win me over, I procastinated on continuing it. However, I’m glad I didn’t let that first impression prevail indefinitely, because it turned out to be a pretty enjoyable series, and Kaya’s professional competence and dedication to her job were a highlight throughout. In this final volume, Kyohei has been expelled from the vampire clan for refusing to give up on his relationship with Kaya, but the clan isn’t quite done meddling, and is indirectly responsible for Kaya’s mother realizing that her daughter is in love with a vampire. That angst doesn’t last too long, and soon wedding plans are underway and there is talk of a baby that is, like, destined to be vampire Jesus or something. All in all, it was a better-than-expected supernatural romance! – Michelle Smith

deadly4The Seven Deadly Sins, Vol. 4 | By Nakaba Suzuki | Kodansha Comics – There’s really a ton of backstory being dished out in this series, and at times it feels it’s coming a bit too fast – here we get an explanation of why King is so angry at Ban, a demonstration of his “other form”, Elaine’s tragic backstory, and adding King to the chain of ‘loves someone else’ that’s been building up. What with Elizabeth now finding her sister working for the other side, there’s precious little time for the comedy or fanservice that was present in previous volumes. And I find that’s a good thing – Melodias is far more likeable as a dark and mysterious hero than he is when he’s trying to feel Elizabeth up. Odd as it seems for me to say, more serious stuff in the future, please!. – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Priapus & more

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potwASH: It’s a very small shipping list this week for manga, but it also contains one of the volumes that I’m especially excited to see being released in English—Mentaiko Itto’s Priapus. After Gengoroh Tagame’s work, Priapus will be the first gay manga to receive a wide release in English as Bruno Gmünder expands its Gay Manga line. Itto’s work will probably appeal to a broader audience as well, seeing as Tagame’s can be rather…intense.

SEAN: It’s not really in my wheelhouse, but I can’t deny that Priapus should definitely be the pick of the week. That said, I’ll go with a title I will actually be reading, which is the new volume of My Little Monster, a fun shoujo series from our friends at Kodansha.

MICHELLE: I’m in the same boat as Sean. Priapus could be awesome, but the one I’m guaranteed to buy is the latest installment of My Little Monster. It’s in my Amazon cart as we speak!

ANNA: It is cool that more gay manga is being made available in English! That being said, I’m excited for the latest volume of Gundam: The Origin. I’m looking forward to setting aside a long afternoon soon to get caught up on all the space battles and Char Aznable being all Aznably.

MJ: I’ll bring things full-circle here, because the only thing on my list this week is Priapus. I’m thrilled that it is being released, and even though I realize I’m not its intended audience, I’m pretty psyched to read it as well.

What looks good to you this week?