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My Week in Manga: February 3-February 9, 2014

February 10, 2014 by Ash Brown

My News and Review

Last week I announced the winner of the Vinland Saga manga giveaway. The post also includes a list of the manga with memorable snowy scenes that were mentioned during the contest. (Just in case you haven’t had enough snow where you are this winter.) And speaking of Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga, I also reviewed the second omnibus of the manga. I’m really loving the series and enjoyed the second volume even more than I did the first. Over the weekend I reviewed Mieko Kanai’s award-winning novel Oh, Tama! which I greatly enjoyed. I know quite a few people who find it to be a boring work, but I found it to be delightfully low-key with a quirky sense of humor.

As for news and interesting reading seen online this week: The fourth issue of the international edition of Monkey Business will be released later this month. I quite enjoy Monkey Business, so I’m looking forward to it. Seven Seas answered a question about some of the decisions that go into licensing manga for omnibus release over on its Tumblr. At Organization Anti-Social Geniuses, Justin posted a great List of Where You Can Buy Anime/Manga in 2014. Hooded Utilitarian’s Ng Suat Tong writes about some of the best online comics criticism of 2013, including some great articles on manga that I hadn’t previously come across.

Quick Takes

Dictatorial Grimoire, Volume 1: Cinderella by Ayumi Kanou. I have a feeling that Dictatorial Grimoire may very well be one of those manga that is so bad that it’s good. The story is admittedly a bit of a mess and sometimes doesn’t even make a whole lot of sense. However, I can’t deny that I had fun reading the manga. It’s all sorts of ridiculous. (I’m not sure that all of it is entirely intentional, though.) Otogi Grimm is the descendant of the Brothers Grimm which turns out to be a rather dangerous thing to be. The Brothers made a pact with demons offering up the lives of their descendants in exchange for the stories that formed the basis of their famous fairy tales. Many of those demons–such as the progenitor’s of Cinderella and Snow White–are now after Otogi in one way or another. He does seem to maintain some control over them, though it’s never explained how he learned, developed, or perhaps inherited this power. I did love that Cinderella is a complete masochist, although that fact is used mostly as a gag rather than for any meaningful characterization. I was, however, amused.

Fairy Tail, Volume 34 by Hiro Mashima. The thirty-fourth volume of Fairy Tail gets off to a good start with the conclusion of Natsu’s confrontation with the Saber Tooth Guild. Then it’s back to the Grand Magic Games for the third day of competition. After a nice buildup to the day’s challenge event, called Pandemonium, Erza’s epic battle is largely reduced to a two-page spread. More time is spent on what basically amounts to target practice for the other teams than on what could have been a glorious combat sequence; it was extremely disappointing. Some of the other fights in this volume fare better, but others are completely rushed through. I’m more interested in the plots going on behind the scenes than I am in the tournament itself, but it seems that to some extent Mashima has given up on the Grand Magic Games. Even the event challenges, which were initially interesting because they required some actual thought and strategy to be put into them in addition to magic and martial skill, have become little more than all-out brawls in this volume. That, too, was a rather disappointing development.

Manic Love by Satomi Yamagata. Manic Love is a prequel of sorts to Yamagata’s Fake Fur; it delves deeper into the back story of Maki Sonoda, an important side character. Yamagata jokes in the afterword that she had challenged herself to write a manga that was half nude scenes, so there’s quite a bit of sex in Manic Love. But it’s actually handled quite tastefully and the sex scenes are an important part of the manga and the themes with which Yamagata is working. As was the case with Fake Fur, Manic Love explores the relationship between romantic love and sexual desire and how they can influence each other. Sex is used as a form of communication and connection between the characters in addition to being something that they enjoy. One of the things that I particularly liked about Manic Love is that each chapter it told from a different characters’ point of view. Maki is in what is probably best described as a sort of love triangle, but it’s one without hard feelings or anger. It’s interesting to be able to see that unusual relationship from multiple perspectives, including one from someone who is outside of that triangle entirely.

Pick of the Week: Manga Wonderland

February 10, 2014 by MJ, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Sean Gaffney and Anna N Leave a Comment

MJ: There’s a lot to choose from this week, and I will certainly be checking out new volumes of Blue Morning, Knights of Sidonia, and more. But I’ll give my pick this week to Viz’s latest license rescue, Deadman Wonderland. Originally published (but not completed) by Tokyopop, this series missed me the first time around, so I’m grateful for an opportunity to hop on. I’ve been disappointed in some other recent entries into the “survival game” genre (if it is, indeed, a genre), so I’m anxious to try one that has elicited positive comments from my co-bloggers. That’s at least a very hopeful sign. Count me in!

MICHELLE: I feel like I have touted both Blue Morning and Knights of Sidonia several times each already, but they’re still my tandem picks of the week. (Even though I am glad Deadman Wonderland is back.) In terms of artwork and scope, Sidonia gets the edge, but I do still look forward to each new volume of Blue Morning quite a bit.

ASH: As for me, as much as I’m enjoying Knights of Sidonia, this week I think I’ll actually be going with the second volume of Crimson Spell. I’m still incredibly happy that SuBLime rescued this smutty and surprisingly humorous fantasy series. And after this volume, we’ll start seeing material that hasn’t previously been released in English.

SEAN: Sean Gaffney, Patron Saint of Lost Causes, would like to take this time to remind you all how funny Hayate the Combat Butler can be, and also how exciting and action packed it can get when it’s in the middle of a rare serious arc, such as the one here. Also, a harem where people are actually not sure who will win. I’ll pick it this week.

ANNA: I’ll have to go with Knights of Sidonia. I love that we are getting outer space giant mecha fighting alien manga. I love it every month it comes out!

What looks good to you this week?

Oh, Tama!

February 9, 2014 by Ash Brown

Author: Mieko Kanai
Translator: Tomoko Aoyama and Paul McCarthy
U.S. publisher: Kurodahan Press
ISBN: 9784902075670
Released: January 2014
Original release: 1987
Awards: Women’s Literature Prize

Oh, Tama! is the third volume of Mieko Kanai’s work to be translated into English. The first was The Word Book, a collection of her short stories from the 1970s, while the second was a short novel called Indian Summer. Both Oh, Tama! and Indian Summer are a part of Kanai’s Mejiro Series–a group of novels tied together more by location and characters than by an overarching plot (though some events do cross over from one novel to another.) Indian Summer is actually the third volume in that series while Oh, Tama!, even though it was translated later, is the second. Oh, Tama! was originally serialized between 1986 and 1987 before being collected and released as a single volume which went on to win Kanai the Women’s Literature Prize in 1988. The English-language translation by Tomoko Aoyama and Paul McCarthy, released by Kurodahan Press in 2014, is based on the 1999 Japanese edition of the novel. I was very pleased to receive a copy of Oh, Tama! through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program.

Tsuneko is pregnant. No one except for her and maybe her half-brother Alexandre (if he really is her half-brother) is entirely sure who the father is. Natsuyuki was one of the candidates, but for various reasons instead of being given the role of “father” he has had the responsibility of caring for Tama–Tusnkeo’s pet cat, also pregnant–thrust upon him by Alexandre. It’s a rather strange turn of events, especially when Tusneko leaves the country and Tama becomes one of the only remaining links to her left in Tokyo. The other potential fathers-to-be are trying to find or at least contact Tsuneko, which eventually leads them to Natsuyuki and Tama. In yet another bizarre twist of fate, one of them, Fuyuhiko, actually turns out to be Natsuyuki’s very own long-lost half-brother, making for a rather odd meeting.

There’s actually not much of a driving plot to Oh, Tama!. Instead, Kanai focuses on the mundane lives of the characters. Even the novel’s setting is unremarkable–almost the entire story takes place within the confines of Natsuyuki’s small apartment. Tama provides a focal point from which Kanai explores the interpersonal relationships between Natsuyuki, his friends, family members, and neighbors. The characters in Oh, Tama! aren’t particularly exceptional people although they’re all slightly quirky, eccentric, and offbeat. Their relationships also follow that same pattern of being just a little peculiar and unusual. I actually quite like Natsuyuki and the others and find their interactions, though fairly low-key, to be delightfully amusing as well as realistic. According to one of Kanai’s afterwords, the characters in Oh, Tama! are actually based on real people, so perhaps it shouldn’t be too surprising that their relationships, in all of their strangeness, should also feel so natural.

The translators’ introduction to Oh, Tama! describes the novel as “a treasure chest of rich and varied parody, allusion and intertextuality.” Since I haven’t actually read many of the works being alluded to, many of the references (even when pointed out) were a little lost on me. However, I could appreciate what Kanai was doing. Personally, what appealed to me most about Oh, Tama! were the characters themselves. Natsuyuki is a fairly laid back sort of guy, but this tendency (mostly because complaining or actually trying to change things would take too much effort) puts him into some odd situations. Alexandre, who seems to delight in messing with people, is often more concerned about Tama and the kittens than any of the people around him. I found their slightly antagonistic friendship and their interactions with Fuyuhiko and the others to be highly entertaining. I greatly enjoyed Oh, Tama! and its quirky, understated humor. So much so that I plan on reading the next novel in the Mejiro series, Indian Summer, in the very near future.

Thank you Kurodahan Press for providing a copy of Oh, Tama! for review.

Vinland Saga, Vol. 2

February 7, 2014 by Ash Brown

Creator: Makoto Yukimura
U.S. publisher: Kodansha
ISBN: 9781612624211
Released: January 2014
Original release: 2006-2007
Awards: Japan Media Arts Award, Kodansha Manga Award

The second Vinland Saga omnibus, released by Kodansha in 2014, collects the third and fourth volumes of Makoto Yukimura’s historical manga series originally published in Japan in 2006 and 2007 respectively. Vinland Saga first began serialization in 2005 and has since earned Yukimura several honors, including a Japan Media Arts Award in 2009 and a Kodansha Manga Award in 2012. Vinland Saga was a series that I had been hoping would be licensed in English for years and so I was understandably thrilled when Kodansha picked the series up. Kodansha’s edition of Vinland Saga is quite nice–hardcover omnibuses which include color pages and have a larger trim size than the publisher’s previous releases. Vinland Saga is Kodansha’s first deluxe manga; personally, I think it’s a series which deserves the special treatment. I was not at all disappointed with the first omnibus of Vinland Saga and so was eagerly awaiting the release of the second.

In the early part of the eleventh century, England was under frequent attack by Vikings. In 1013, after years of fighting, England’s King Ethelred has been driven into exile in France while King Sweyn of Denmark proceeds with his invasion of the country. The Danes aren’t entirely united though, and many of the king’s forces are more like mercenaries or bands of pirates than they are loyal followers. Some groups, such as those led by Thorkell the Tall, have actually aligned themselves with the English in the conflict. Others, such as Askeladd’s band of warriors, fight under King Sweyn simply because he currently has the more advantageous position and the chance of reward is therefore much greater. But there is some infighting among Askeladd’s ranks as well. The only reason that Thorfinn, a skilled young fighter, follows him is for the chance to seek revenge against Askeladd for the death of his father. In the meantime, Thorfinn serves both as one of Askeladd’s most valuable and most expendable assets.

I enjoyed the first omnibus of Vinland Saga a great deal, but I think that I probably enjoyed the second one even more. Yukimura has struck an ideal balance between exciting action sequences and combat and the more personal and emotional character development of the fighters who are involved. Vinland Saga is both epic and intimate in its scope. War is occurring between nations, but it is the characters’ individual struggles that make the story so visceral and compelling. Many of the warriors in Vinland Saga are bloodthirsty, seeking glory and taking pleasure from battle itself rather than from any sort of perceived noble cause. But there are exceptions. Thorfinn despises this fighting for fighting’s sake. However, while his search for revenge may arguably be more righteous, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s in the right. Askeladd, too, has some very legitimate justifications for fighting. But while his skills as a warrior and strategist are commendable, many of his actions are deplorable.

The depth of characterization in Vinland Saga is impressive. In this omnibus, Askeladd in particular is shown to be a much more complicated figure than he may have first appeared. Vinland Saga, Omnibus 2 delves into part of his backstory, which only begins to reveal his motivations and who he really is as a person. Yukimura’s attention to detail in Vinland Saga extends beyond the characters themselves. The amount of research he has conducted allows him to portray the time period realistically, taking into consideration major historical events but also incorporating religious issues and matters of the day-to-day lives of royalty, mercenaries, and common folk. The artwork, too, can be incredibly detailed. The landscapes and environments are beautifully rendered and each character, even the multitudes of unnamed combatants, have distinctive designs. Vinland Saga really is an excellent series. I’m enjoying it immensely and am extremely happy that it’s finally available in English.

Manga the Week of 2/12

February 6, 2014 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Michelle Smith, MJ and Anna N 2 Comments

SEAN: Assuming that you are able to get out of your house and are not snowed in, there’s a lot to like in this 2nd week of February.

Does anyone here remember Hey! Class President from DMP? Vol. 3 came out back in September 2010. Well, here’s Vol. 4, despite the fact that he surely should have graduated by now.

Do you like tournament arcs? Do you wish that they came out in giant omnibuses so that you could get EVEN MORE TOURNAMENT ARC per volume? Then you will love the 3rd Battle Angel Alita: Last Order omnibus from Kodansha.

ASH: Ancient Martian martial arts and space karate! What’s not to love?

SEAN: Do you like tournament arcs? Do you wish that they came out in giant omnibuses so that you could get EVEN MORE TOURNAMENT ARC per volume? Then you will love the 9th Negima omnibus from Kodansha.

MICHELLE: *snerk* Somehow, this has left me wondering when/whether The Prince of Tennis will get the omnibus treatment.

MJ: This whole conversation just made me smile. Though I mostly don’t like tournament arcs. Unless they are about Go. Apparently.

SEAN: Sankarea looks like it may be taking that big step towards full-blown horror, but will it find the time to be silly and have harem antics? Find out with Volume 5.

Blue Morning 4 is filled with tortured embraces and flowers blooming from nowhere.

MICHELLE: It’s so good!

MJ: I’m looking forward to this!

SEAN: Meanwhile, in Crimson Spell 2, our heroes would prefer to merely glare at the reader. Both of these from SubLime.

ASH: I’m still incredibly happy about this license rescue.

SEAN: Knights of Sidonia looks like it may be taking that big step towards full-blown horror, but will it find the time to be silly and have harem antics? Find out with Volume 7.

MICHELLE: Also so good.

ASH: Yes, it is!

MJ: More Sidonia, more!

SEAN: Deadman Wonderland manages to combine the survival game genre with a prison drama, as a young man who is the sole survivor of a brutal massacre is convicted of being the cause and sent to Japan’s Next Top Prison.

MICHELLE: I liked the first volume of this, back when it was a TOKYOPOP title. I’m looking forward to being able to revisit it and hopefully get more of the story.

ASH: I enjoyed what TOKYOPOP released, too, though I preferred the earlier volumes over the latter ones.

ANNA: I also enjoyed the first few volumes of this, and it makes sense that it is going to be reissued, what with the anime tie-in. I really really wish someone would license rescue old Tokyopop titles like Demon Sacred and Sky Blue Shore though.

MICHELLE: Oh, me too x 1000.

MJ: I’m grateful for this one because I missed it the first time around. Count me in on Demon Sacred, though!

SEAN: Hayate the Combat Butler 23 finally begins to get dramatic (no, seriously, it does), but will it be able to actually resolve the Athena plot? Or will we wait another 6 months with a nasty cliffhanger?

The last VIZBIG InuYasha is looking like it may be the last VIZBIG edition period, but it was a nice way to get a very long series.

MICHELLE: I have still not finished InuYasha. One of these days.

SEAN: Our heroes are separated as of the end of the 3rd Magi volume. Can we get them back together in this 4th book? Let’s hope so, I love shonen teamups.

MICHELLE: I’ve been really impressed by Magi so far. Hooray for more.

SEAN: Lastly, the 4th volume of Tiger & Bunny continues to attract a very devoted audience.

MICHELLE: That’s very diplomatic.

SEAN: What’s your poison this week?

Hayate the Combat Butler, Vol. 23

February 6, 2014 by Sean Gaffney

By Kenjiro Hata. Released in Japan as “Hayate no Gotoku!” by Shogakukan, serialization ongoing in the magazine Shonen Sunday. Released in North America by Viz.

This volume wasn’t really supposed to be read on its own – it came out in Japan at the same time as Vol. 24, as it’s one big epic storyline resolution. But here in North America, where Hayate’s sales sort of suck, we get this volume now and Vol. 24 in late summer. That said, it’s not like this is incoherent without the other volume, it just leaves us with another nasty cliffhanger. More to the point, everything is finally tying together as the universe sets out to make Hayate’s life miserable, and he helps it along as best he can.

Not that Hayate is the only one suffering – we get the aftermath of Hina’s confession, as her heart is shattered into little pieces but she still manages to say the right things to Hayate. There are many characters in this series who are at their best when they’re absolutely miserable, and Hina’s is one of the bigger examples. That said, I suspect she’s not simply going to sit back at the hotel for the rest of this arc and let Athena steal the show…

Nor is Nagi, though she doesn’t really appear much in this volume. Hayate’s self-worth is tied directly to the fact that Nagi ‘saved’ him from his old life, and therefore when Mikado (who is really being a horrible old bastard here) forces him to choose between Nagi’s happiness (as losing all her wealth will destroy her) and Athena’s (as she may very well die if Hayate doesn’t intervene), it’s snot surprising that he freezes up and goes into a bit of a blue funk. It’s not so much a Lady or the Tiger choice as it is two kinds of tiger.

And then there’s Athena (who has a comedy relief servant, Makina, who is appropriately a bit of a dark Hayate to Athena’s Dark Nagi). There’s a bit of possession by evil going on, so her desire to get the King’s Jewel at all costs it wrapped up in that. Her feelings for Hayate seem to be genuine, though, and it’s telling that the evil inside her is allowed to take over when she realizes that Nagi is the one who saved him and the most important woman in his life right now. This leads to summoning giant demonic spirits to kill Hayate once and for all. Thank goodness for Isumi…

…who arrives just in time to lose her first battle in the entire series (as possessed-Athena points out to her, “You’ve never had to face someone stronger than you, have you?), so our heroes have to run away for a bit. Isumi also gets to be infodump girl, informing Hayate that even if they destroy the stone, the shock of the thing that’s currently possessing her being destroyed may kill Athena. He really does have no good options here. Well, except this is a shonen manga, so he can go back and plead with her to listen to reason some more. I suspect that’s what we’ll see next.

At the time this came out, a lot of folks were wondering if this might be the conclusion, and if Hayate would actually end up with Athena. No fear (it’s up to Vol. 39 in Japan now), but this is still an excellent buildup to something big. Can Hayate win despite his amazing powers of self-hatred?

Manga Giveaway: Vinland Saga Giveaway Winner

February 5, 2014 by Ash Brown

And the winner of the Vinland Saga Giveaway is…Serene!

As the winner, Serene will be receiving the second omnibus in Kodansha USA’s release of Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga. For this giveaway I asked those participating to tell me about some of their favorite scenes in manga that involved snow. (The first two omnibuses of Vinland Saga have quite a bit of snow in them.) Do check out the giveaway comments for all of the details, but here is a quick list of all of the manga that was mentioned:

Aria by Kozue Amano
Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa
Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya
I”s Masakazu Katsura
Love Song by Keiko Nishi
Maison Ikkoku by Rumiko Takahashi
Mushishi by Yuki Urushibara
One Piece by Eiichiro Oda
Palette of 12 Secret Colors by Nari Kusakawa
The Summit of the Gods written by Baku Yumemakura, illustrated by Jiro Taniguchi
Tsubasa by CLAMP
Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura

And there you have it! A dozen titles with some memorable snowy scenes. Thank you to everyone who participated in this giveaway. I hope to see you again for the next one!

Quick roundup: What went on while I was in Angouleme

February 4, 2014 by Brigid Alverson

Hey everyone, sorry about the radio silence. I’ve been away at the International Comics Festival in Angouleme, France, where manga is still a big deal and the guests included Suehiro Maruo. I’m still recovering from jet lag (not to mention re-entry into normal life after six days in an 18th-century chateau), so this is just a quick roundup, but I will have a lot to say in the next few days, so stay tuned.

There has been a rumor making the rounds, based on an interview that Inio Asano did with a Japanese magazine, that the manga-ka wants to have a sex-change. Matt Thorn looks into it but doesn’t get much clarification from Asano’s publisher; he then turns to the original interview, which sheds a bit more light on Asano’s feelings.

Over on the other side of the channel, The Guardian has discovered manga and has a beginner’s guide with a good slate of recommended titles. Even if you’re not a beginner, it’s always interesting to see what sort of take the mass media has on the topic.

At Good Comics for Kids, we have a preview of the fourth volume of Tania del Rio’s manga-style Sabrina: The Magic Within graphic novels.

The Manga Bookshelf team looks at this week’s new manga and discusses the Pick of the Week.

News from Japan: Shin Kibayashi, creator of The Drops of God and Kindaichi Case Files, has started a new manga, Shinjuku DxD, which will be carried by the Manga Box app.

Reviews: The Manga Bookshelf team looks at this week’s new releases in their Bookshelf Briefs feature. Ash Brown looks back at a week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga.

Kristin on vols. 3 and 4 of The Earl and the Fairy (Comic Attack)
Anna N. on vol. 12 of Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden (Manga Report)
Kristin on Helter Skelter (Comic Attack)
Drew McCabe on Pokemon: Genesect and the Legend Awakened (Comic Attack)
Chris Kirby on vol. 17 of Toriko (The Fandom Post)
Anna N. on The Tycoon’s Pregnant Mistress and Her Sheikh Boss (Manga Report)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 5 of Umineko: When They Cry (A Case Suitable for Treatment)

Book Girl and the Scribe Who Faced God, Part 2

February 4, 2014 by Sean Gaffney

By Mizuki Nomura. Released in Japan by Enterbrain. Released in North America by Yen Press.

And so we finally get to the book that wraps everything up, and it’s appropriate that it also dips back into the previous seven books so much. Everything here has been interconnecting far more than we expected at the time, and, as Chie herself noted, people did not get magically healed after the tragic events that happened to them. Still, most everyone seems to be working things out to a certain degree as they graduate. Even Konoha, who has finally come to terms with the fact that once he removes writing from all of the triggers it presents to him, he actually loves doing it.

Konoha has been a very frustrating character to read through this series, and can be that way here as well, at least for the first half. His relationship0 with Nanase is sweet and innocent and pure poison to absolutely everyone involved, even if Ryuto’s attempts to break them up through threats and violence are even more dumb. I actually feel bad for Nanase – not only does she lose out on Konoha in the end, but she also ended up being the least developed character, really. The tragedy in her focused book happened to her best friend, leaving her to be the prime example of the pure tsundere shonen heroine that pines away even as she knows deep in her heart that something is wrong. I hope one of the side-story sequels in Japan features her and gives her more depth.

Ryuto and Tohko tie together, of course, and while I still think he makes every wrong decision imaginable in this series, I can now sympathize with Ryuto’s intentions and see why he tries to torture himself so much. He and Chie still make a weirdly twisted couple, and her actions towards the end were not surprising but still managed to pack a punch. As for Maki, she finally gets what she wants out of life. Her painting of Tohko included. She’s an excellent positive example of how to beat overwhelming odds through sheer determination, and probably still my most favorite character in the series.

Finally, Tohko and Konoha, and the backstory with Tohko’s parents. This is where most of the plot twists come in, some of them mere lines after the last. I have not read Andre Gide’s Strait Is the Gate, the book that features so heavily, but it ties into Tohko’s life heavily. Tohko in the end is simply an incredibly nice girl who wants to see people happy and doing what they do best. She also knows that Konoha needs to write, and his rejection of her basically hits all if her emotional trauma buttons. I’m still not sure I like the idea of them as a romantic couple – I think they’d be excellent best friends and a writer/editor team. But they’re the best part of this book, and I liked that it was Konoha who got the big dramatic speech tying the tragedy into the book this time around.

Book Girl has been a roller coaster of teen trauma, and really didn’t have *too* much supernatural content – Tohko’s nature really isn’t examined all that much. It’s the perfect novel series for someone who wants a book for teenagers but wants to avoid all the cliches that plague most Japanese light noels that are translated into English. Character you care about, twisty plots, and an overwhelming love of books. I want to read it all over again. Luckily, I don’t eat books, so I can do so fairly easily. (Tohko must hate e-readers.)

Bookshelf Briefs 2/3/14

February 3, 2014 by Sean Gaffney and Michelle Smith 3 Comments

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

Arisa, Vol. 12 | By Natsumi Ando | Kodansha Comics – Yay, it’s over! Although this volume features a bomb, an over-the-top bitchy mom, several stabbings, and a healthy dose of redemption and forgiveness, none of it has any impact. It all just breezes past superficially. I’m kind of bummed that this is the sole example of shoujo mystery/suspense to come out in English in recent memory, because surely there must be better stories out there. One complimentary thing I can say about Arisa, however, is that the heroine (Tsubasa) does not get paired off romantically with the guy who helped with her investigation (Manabe). I thought for sure that would happen, but in the end, he actually likes someone else and Tsubasa derives closure from being able to get closer to her sister, and not from snagging a boyfriend. That counts for something! – Michelle Smith

A Devil And Her Love Song, Vol. 13 | By Miyoshi Tomori | Viz Media – It seems appropriate that the first third of this volume deal with the adversarial relationship between Ayu and Maria, given that this is where it all began. Sure, they’re good friends now, but that does not change the fact that Ayu still loves Yusuke, Yusuke still loves Maria, and Maria is in love with Shin. And sometimes there’s no real solution to those things. Maria, at least, refuses to abandon any of her friendships, and Ayu does come around. After this, it’s a refreshingly happy and positive final volume, as Maria continues to see her family, finds fresh resolve to become a singer, and of course strengthens her relationship with Shin. Even Anna is mentioned as moving forward. the darkness this series had throughout makes this ending all the sweeter, and it feels well-earned as well. A terrific title. – Sean Gaffney

Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, Vol. 5 | By Yomi Hirasaka and Itachi | Seven Seas – First off, let’s note that, even amusingly censored as it is, this volume has a lot – a WHOLE lot – of nudity. FYI. As for the plot, Yozora tries her hardest (the horse head helps), and there’s the hint that our trap may not in fact be a trap at all, but for the most part this is a very Sena-focused volume. We see her loneliness and need to bond when everyone but her has a cell phone, and we see her obsession for cute things such as Kodaka’s sister. Mostly, though, we see that she’s really fallen for Kodaka, in a tsundere sort of way, and given that she’s slightly less socially inept than Yozora, probably has a better chance of getting together with him. Oh yes, and her family are insane, but I could have guessed that. This was a fun read for fans of harem comedies. – Sean Gaffney

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 14 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – I sympathize with Nanami, I really do, given that the alternative is Tomoe’s death. But part of me just wants to grab her and scream “DO NOT MESS WITH TIME!” Yes, most of this volume takes place in the past, as Nanami resolves to stop Tomoe’s curse from killing him by preventing the curse from existing in the first place. The volume has plenty of magnificent Nanami moments, but fans of Kirihito and Mizuki will also find things to enjoy here. The other big attraction, though, is the evil past Tomoe, and how his history may already be changing just from meeting Nanami. (Or so we think – who knows? Do not mess with time.) This has the feeling of a multi-volume arc, so be prepared to spend more time in the past. Which I am fine with, as long as Nanami keeps being awesome. – Sean Gaffney

Strobe Edge, Vol. 8 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – There is so much self-sacrificing going on in this volume I want to punch a kitten. Don’t get me wrong, it’s lovely to see the angst and people being considerate of each other’s feelings and all, but I can’t help wonder how much longer this is going to go on with Ninako lying to herself? (Checks volume count – two more to go.) I do like the addition of the blunt guy who has nothing to do with Ninako or any of their friends – he makes a good sounding board, and hopefully will not be dragged into any love triangles, even though I suspect jealousy is going to rear its ugly head. I’m still enjoying this, but it’s a shoujo where everyone is sad most of the time, and that means that it needs to run its course soon. You can’t sustain angst over 10+ volumes. Luckily, next time is the penultimate one. – Sean Gaffney