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Pick of the Week: Men, Magi, & Mecha

December 9, 2013 by Ash Brown, Anna N, Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith and MJ 1 Comment

ASH: It’s a somewhat quieter week for manga releases, but there’s still some good stuff coming out. I’m tempted to select the most recent volume of Tsutomu Nihei’s Knight’s of Sidonia as my pick of the week; the series has turned out to be great mix of sci-fi, horror, and romance. But I’ll have to admit, the manga that I’m probably most excited about this week is SuBLime’s rerelease of Ayano Yamane’s Crimson Spell. Occasionally I just really want to read some nicely drawn, smutty fantasy goodness.

ANNA: I’ll have to go with Knights of Sidionia, as I feel obligated to support awesome manga about mecha fighting aliens in space.

SEAN: I’ll go with Magi, the latest Shonen Sunday hit from Viz. It’s looking good so far, with this Arabian Nights adventure being exciting, heartwarming and funny.

MICHELLE: Since Knights of Sidonia has been safely covered, I’m also going to pick Magi. I enjoyed it from the beginning, but the interesting developments at the end of volume two sealed the deal. This could turn out to be a real favorite.

MJ: And I’ll circle partway back, at least. Though I’m interested in both Magi and Crimson Spell, I’m joining Anna this week in her support for volume six of Knights of Sidonia. I’ve never been a major fan of mecha, but this series has blown me away with its intense poignance and gorgeous artwork. I’m more than hooked.

What looks good to you this week?

My Week in Manga: December 2-December 8, 2013

December 9, 2013 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

I posted two reviews here at Experiments in Manga last week. The honor of the first in-depth manga review for December goes to Yoshikazu Yasuhiko’s Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, Volume 3: Ramba Ral. The fourth volume in the series is scheduled to be released this month, so I wanted to make sure to catch up with my reviews. Though I wouldn’t call myself a Gundam fan, I’m still really enjoying The Origin manga. The second review was for Ivan Morris’ The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan. Originally published in 1975, the work was recently brought back into print by Kurodahan Press. It’s an extremely illuminating and fascinating volume. I also announced the Fairy Tail Feast Winner last week. In case you’re looking for some epic manga to read, the post also includes a list of series that have had at least thirty volumes published in English.

I’ve come across quite a few manga-related things online recently. Sadly, that includes the news that PictureBox will no longer be releasing any new titles. PictureBox had some fantastic manga releases this year, including the start of the Ten-Cent Manga and Masters of Alternative Manga series. It also released The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame. PictureBox’s closing means that the previously announced anthology Massive: Gay Erotic Manga And The Men Who Make It, originally scheduled for release in 2014, is now in limbo.

In happier news, Manga Bookshelf’s MJ was interviewed at Diamond Bookshelf–Understanding Manga: Editor MJ Discusses CBLDF Presents Manga. I thought that Manga: Introduction, Challenges, and Best Practices was a great resource when I read it, so it was interesting to hear about some of the behind-the-scenes work that went into it.

And speaking of interesting interviews, Organization Anti-Social Geniuses has been Talkin’ Seven Seas and Manga Business With Conner Crooks. Crooks is the Social Media Manager at Seven Seas, which has been having a very good year. Part 1 and Part 2 of the interview series are currently available. Part 3 should be posted on Tuesday.

Continuing on with the Seven Seas theme, Sean Gaffney took a look at the publisher’s recently announced licenses over at A Case Suitable for Treatment. And if you’re interested in all of the anime, manga, artbook, and light novels that were licensed in 2013 (as well as related successful crowdfunding projects), Reverse Thieves has you covered with All the Titles Fit to License, 2013 Edition.

Quick Takes

Hero Heel, Volumes 2-3 by Makoto Tateno. Out of the boys’ love manga by Tateno that I have so far read, I think that Hero Heel is probably one of her better works. At least it has some of the most interesting and believable character development. Although that being said, I’m not sure that I’m entirely convinced by the ending, but that might just be because I feel bad for Katagiri. Minami in particular goes through a lot of change as the series progresses. In the first volume he’s almost the villain of the story, blackmailing and forcing his feelings on Sawada. By the end of Hero Heel he’s a much more sympathetic character and has matured significantly. As for Sawada, he comes across as rather harsh from the start, though how much of an asshole he really is isn’t revealed until later. The themes of hero and villain and what it means to be a good person are very prominent in Hero Heel. It’s interesting to see the parallels between the characters that Minami and Sawada play on the superhero show they costar in and their lives off the set.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: Short Stories, Volume 2 by Naoko Takeuchi. For the most part, I think I probably enjoyed the second (and final) volume of Sailor Moon short stories more than I did the first. In general, they don’t rely as heavily on knowledge of the main series; a basic understanding of the Sailor Moon universe is sufficient to follow the short manga in the second collection of stories. Well, at least that’s true for the first two stories. The third short manga “Parallel Sailor Moon” requires a bit more, and even then it’s a really strange, almost nonsensical piece. I much preferred the first two stories in the collection. “Princess Kaguya’s Lover” is the longest and most involved, basically amounting to a one-sided love story between Luna and Dr. Ohzora, an astronomy professor. It has space and astronauts, which I’ll admit to having a fondness for, so that made me happy. (Takeuchi even visited the Kennedy Space Center on a research trip for the story.) “Casa Blanca Memory” is a shorter work featuring Rei, which also made me pretty happy.

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Legends, Omnibus 2 (equivalent to Volumes 3-4) by Yak Haibara. I get a huge kick out of the Sengoku Basara: Samurai Legends manga. I’ve never played Sengoku Basara 2–the video game on which it is directly based (it hasn’t been released in North America)–nor have I seen any of the Sengoku Basara anime (though I may make a point to check it out now), but I do have some familiarity with the Warring States period. Because of the number of characters, battles, alliances, castles and such to keep track of in Samurai Legends, which are all based on historical figures and events, that familiarity has come in handy. Overall, I think the first omnibus of Samurai Legends was a little stronger than the second omnibus. The last half of the series has a few continuity problems in the artwork, and there are some characters who are introduced more because they are a part of the franchise than because they had an important role to play in the manga, but it was still a lot of fun. I really enjoy the series’ over-the-top fights, characters, and dialogue.

Sickness Unto Death, Volume 2 written by Hikari Asada and illustrated by Takahiro Seguchi. Probably because it doesn’t employ nearly as many clichés, the second volume of Sickness Unto Death is much better than the first. Granted, the first volume was needed to set it up the whole scenario; I just think it could have been handled better. But the payoff is mostly satisfying. Even so, the manga still makes me vaguely uncomfortable, and not in the way I think it was intended to. The problem I have with the story of Sickness Unto Death stems from the way Emiru’s case is handled. That Kazuma wants to help and treat her I’m fine with. In fact, there’s some really interesting conflicts of interest and ethical and philosophical questions that arise because of it. At its best, Sickness Unto Death has some marvelously dark psychological elements to it. What particularly bothers me about the series is that Kazuma’s continued “treatment” of Emiru is actually encouraged by his professor, which is highly irresponsible not to mention unprofessional.

Seven Seas announces another license

December 9, 2013 by Brigid Alverson

Seven Seas has Tweeted news of yet another new license; this time it’s D-Frag, a high school story about a guy who is sort of a delinquent who joins a gamer’s club that’s mostly girls. In case you missed it, Sean Gaffney rounds up all the recent Seven Seas announcements, with commentary.

Erica Friedman brings a fresh edition of Yuri News Network at Okazu. And she also presents a yuri-themed gift guide.

Suehiro Maruo’s horror manga Mr. Arashi’s Amazing Freak Show and The Strange Tale of Panorama Island are the topic of Shaenon Garrity’s latest House of 1000 Manga column at ANN.

Khursten Santos reviews the Crunchyroll manga service at Otaku Champloo.

Lori Henderson checks out the new digital manga service Manga Box in her latest Manga Dome podcast at Manga Xanadu.

Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama once thought of killing off all the characters at the series’ end, but he has backed off of that; he still wants to “betray his fans,” though.

Reviews: Carlo Santos has some quick takes on recent volumes of Btooom!, Wolfsmund, and more in his Right Turn Only!! column at ANN.

A Library Girl on vol. 1 of Captive Hearts (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 5 of Demon Love Spell (The Comic Book Bin)
Erica Friedman on vol. 1 of Fuurai Shimai (Okazu)
Matthew Alexander on vol. 3 of Genshiken Second Season (The Fandom Post)
Erica Friedman on Koi ha Hisokani Minorumono (Okazu)
Ash Brown on vol. 3 of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (Experiments in Manga)
A Library Girl on vols. 1 and 2 of Nabari No Ou (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 69 of One Piece (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Rebecca Silverman on vols. 1 and 2 of Puella Magi Oriko Magica (ANN)
Erica Friedman on vol. 1 of Sakura Trick (Okazu)
Matthew Warner on Tiger and Bunny: The Beginning, Side A and Side B (The Fandom Post)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 9 of Toriko (The Comic Book Bin)
Mark Thomas on vol. 7 of Vampire Hunter D (The Fandom Post)

One Piece, Vol. 69

December 9, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By Eiichiro Oda. Released in Japan by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Viz.

The majority of this volume of One Piece is composed of running around and fighting, as we tend to get when we’re 2/3 of the way through most story arcs in this series. Everyone is coming together from various disparate points (or, in the case of Luffy, getting dumped way the hell away from everyone) to try to stop Caesar Clown, who is upset that he has to kill them all in his secret base rather than out on Punk Hazard’s surface. We also get to see more of the fighting styles of minor villains Monet and Vergo. And thankfully we also get lots and lots of silliness.

One thing that gets a bit more attention this volume is the way that trust works in the world of One Piece. Luffy is, let’s face it, a man who inspires devotion and loyalty in his crew, but he’s not the only one. Most of the pirates, marines and mooks we see here are all fiercely proud and supportive of their leader, to the point almost of mindlessness. This is where Luffy’s crew stands out, of course – being real characters, they’re allowed to disagree with him or tell him he’s being stupid. The nameless marines and villains, however, don’t have that option, so they remain trusting and gullible to an extreme. When it’s someone like Tashigi who inspires them, that’s fine – she would never tell them to do something stupid, and indeed tries to protect them by stating that their foe is not the real Vergo. When it comes to Caesar, though…

Let’s face it, Caesar is a terrible, terrible liar. His “I am a good guy trying to help you all” act is pathetic, and it doesn’t say much for his mooks that they buy into it wholeheartedly. At least the little kids have the excuse of being too young to really understand. (though kudos to the one kid who sacrifices herself for the others, after Chopper finally convinces her what’s really happening). Caesar is not quite as scummy as, say, Spandam, but it’s still very satisfying to see Luffy beat the ever-loving snot out of him here.

There’s also Zoro and Tashigi, who get a lot of spotlight here. Tashigi’s character has always been fairly problematic, and it doesn’t really get any better here, as her compassion wars with her fierce competitiveness and her belief that Zoro is holding back whenever he’s near her because she’s a woman. Zoro, of course, is not about to tell her the real reason, and in any case is so far beyond her skill level now that he can take out Money, let her get in the final blow, and then agree to have her take the credit for it. Makes no difference to him, as that sort of thing is irrelevant when you’re on the level he is. In short, their relationship is still just as amusing yet awkward to read about as ever. (I did love her nerding out about his new sword as he carries her away from the gas, though.)

So overall another solid volume. The crew get chances to show off (Even Nami, whose weather control works well briefly against someone like Monet), and the collective treatment of Brownbeard is a comedic masterpiece. I am, however, looking forward to this arc being done in a volume or two.

The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan

December 8, 2013 by Ash Brown

Author: Ivan Morris
Publisher: Kurodahan Press
ISBN: 9784902075502
Released: September 2013
Original release: 1975

In some ways, Ivan Morris’ The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan could be considered a companion of sorts to his earlier work The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan. While The World of the Shining Prince explores the beauty of court culture in Japan, The Nobility of Failure addresses the country’s more tragic history. Originally published in 1975, The Nobility of Failure has been out of print for years. Happily, Kurodahan Press was able to rerelease the volume in 2013 with a newly added preface by Juliet Winters Carpenter. Happier still, I was selected to receive a review copy of the new edition of The Nobility of Failure through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program. The Nobility of Failure is an important work that examines the cultural and historical background of some of the tragic heroes who continue to influence the modern Japanese psyche. I am very glad that I, and others, once again have the opportunity to read it.

While not unheard of in Western tradition, Japan has a particular, and some might call peculiar, predilection for the tragic or failed hero. They are admired for their sincerity and loyalty even when their causes were meet with failure and their goals could be considered traitorous. Above all else, those heroes adhered to their ideals, especially in the face of their own destruction. In The Nobility of Failure, Morris traces Japan’s tradition of the tragic hero back to the fourth century and the archetype of Prince Yamato Takeru. The following chapters explore the lives and influences of Japan’s legendary and historic failed heroes found throughout the centuries: Yorozu, Arima no Miko, Sugawara no Michizane, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Kusunoki Masashige, Amakusa Shirō, Ōshio Heihachirō, and Saigō Takamori. The volume culminates in an examination of the World War II kamikaze fighters–an unprecedented development in modern warfare which for most countries would have been unimaginable.

One thing that I didn’t realize about The Nobility of Failure before reading the book was how much of an influence Yukio Mishima had on its creation. Morris and Mishima were friends and the book was at least in part written in order to put Mishima’s act of ritual suicide in 1970 into historical context. The volume is even dedicated to his memory. Since I happen to have a particular fascination with Mishima, I found this connection to be especially interesting. Many of the heroes who are the focus of The Nobility of Failure (tragic heroines are only mentioned in passing) were men that Mishima personally admired, but they are also generally recognized as important to Japan as a whole and are even considered to be inspirational figures to some. Japan’s tragic heroes carry immense psychological and cultural significance; their role in Japanese history was crucial to the development of Japan’s national character, perspective, and worldview.

The Nobility of Failure is an extremely illuminating volume. It’s readily clear that Morris put a tremendous amount of thought and research into the volume. In fact, the endnotes, bibliography, and index make up approximately a third of the books’ length. Morris draws upon both primary and secondary materials, including literature, poetry, and theatrical interpretations of the heroes’ stories found in kabuki and Noh. Using a combination of sources, excerpts, and retellings, Morris reveals both the mythic and legendary basis of Japan’s tragic heroes as well as their historical reality and how they have influenced Japan’s culture and psyche. This is particularly evident in the chapter about the kamikaze fighters in which Morris ties in everything that had previously been examined. Even though The Nobility of Failure was written nearly forty years ago, it is still a valuable and fascinating work. Morris’ compassionate analysis deserves to remain in print.

Thank you to Kurodahan Press for providing a copy of The Nobility of Failure for review.

License Roundup – Seven Seas

December 7, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

Seven Seas has put out so many press releases lately that I kept waiting for it to stop before I could do a post summing it all up. Luckily, we seem to be in a lull, so let’s see what they have in the way of 2014 manga for us.

D-Frag! is a Comic Alive title from Media Factory, and seems to combine several popular otaku elements. Young man gets shanghaied into a club with four very strange women and has to deal with their wacky antics. Clearly there will be some harem stuff going on, and with the hero being a delinquent type it’s hard not to think of Haganai when seeing this one, especially as this also involves playing a lot of games.

Speaking of Haganai, after having been on Amazon for several months as a preorder, Seven Seas finally admits they have licensed the Shobon side-story volume, which is going out under the title “Now With 50% More Fail!” because, y’know, translating is good. (I think Shobon is an emoji or something? Totally untranslatable, I suspect…)

Yes, of course there’s a one-shot sequel to the one-shot, with more side-story madness. Given Haganai doesn’t have much of a plot to begin with besides the harem antics, side stories seem a bit odd, but hey, I still enjoy the series. This is called Haganai Hiyori in Japan, and comes over here as Club Minutes.

This title may have been seen before by a few people back in the JManga days, and I’ve always been a huge fan of it. The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer is a rather twisted Japanese take on superheroes, and at 10 volumes (which Seven Seas will be publishing as 5 omnibuses), is just the right length. The hero, in particular, has a certain horrible mindset that makes me smile (and occasionally wince). Of all Seven Seas’ new licenses, this is the one I most recommend. (It’s also a Young King Ours title. We need more YKO over here.)

Looking at that picture, and the fact that this is called “I Am Alice – Bodyswap in Wonderland”, you might be forgiven for thinking this is the latest QuinRose spinoff series in the Country of Hearts. But no, Alice in Wonderland is to 2014 what Survival Games were to 2013. Ore Alice runs in Media Factory’s Comic Gene, meaning it’s appealing to shoujo readers. Given that Alice is in reality a young boy, and that the Wonderland Inhabitants look to be just as bishey as Country of Hearts, I expect there may be BL content in here somewhere, but who knows? I’ll admit this is the title I know the least about.

Lastly, we have three more Strike Witches manga spinoffs, with the cover above being for the story “One-Winged Witches”. We also get “1937 Fuso Sea Incident” and “The Sky That Surrounds Us”. They’re all Kadokawa series, from either Nyantype or Comp Ace, which is to say they are marketed solely to young men with lots of money who want cute girls. None of the Strike Witches manga have come out over here yet, so I can’t really say for sure if this will be another Haganai or another Monster Musume for me. Time will tell. In the meantime, fans of the series have to be happy at seeing all of these.

And that about covers it, at least until next week when they may announce nine more series. Seven Seas has come a long way in just one or two years. Is this all thanks to Country of Clover and Vampire Bund? Well, more licensed manga is always a good thing.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, Vol. 3: Ramba Ral

December 6, 2013 by Ash Brown

Creator: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
Original story: Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate
U.S. publisher: Vertical
ISBN: 9781935654971
Released: September 2013
Original release: 2007

Although I have been aware of the massively popular and influential Gundam franchise for quite some time, my first real introduction to Gundam was through Yoshikazu Yasuhiko’s manga series Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. The manga is a reimagining of the 1979 anime series Mobile Suit Gundam which launched the franchise. Yasuhiko was one of the creators heavily involved in the visual development of the original series, so it is particularly interesting to see his personal take on the story. Part of The Origin was initially released by Viz Media in the early 2000s. However, the series is now being published by Vertical in a beautiful deluxe release based on the Japanese collector’s edition. Ramba Ral is the third volume in that series, first published in Japan in 2007 and released in English in 2013. This particular volume also includes delightful contributions from Shimoku Kio, the creator of Genshiken, as well as additional Gundam color illustrations by Yasuhiko.

After the overly ambitious Garma Zabi, the youngest scion of the Principality of Zeon’s ruling family, is killed in battle, his brother Gihren resolves to use his death to rally support for Zeon’s fight, going against the wishes of his father. Garma’s sister Kycilia isn’t about to let the opportunity be wasted, either. Zeon may not have access to the same amount of resources available to the Earth Federation, but it has a cause, charismatic leaders, and more advanced technology. Now that the battle of Los Angeles is over, the Federation’s White Base carrier, along with the newly developed Gundam mobile suit, are en route to Jaburo. Its young crew is closer to reaching the Earth Federation’s headquarters, making resupply easier, but Zeon is more determined than ever to either capture or destroy the Gundam. To make matters even worse for White Base, tension continues to mount between the civilians and the military personnel on the ship, making their mission even more challenging.

One of the biggest problems that the crew of White Base faces is that they are both young and inexperienced. In some cases they are rather immature as well. With all of the excitement and battles going on in The Origin, it can be easy to forget just how young many of the characters actually are. Ramba Ral serves as a good reminder, especially when it comes to Amuro Ray, the Gundam’s pilot. He’s only fifteen–an age at which he is easily distracted and flustered by members of the opposite sex–and he makes some extremely poor decisions in this volume of The Origin. His selfishness and petulance puts everyone on White Base in danger. Amuro may be the person in the best position to save his friends, but his immaturity is what put them at risk to begin with. While I can understand where he’s coming from, I found myself rather annoyed with Amuro in Ramba Ral and wanted to shake some sense into him. Unsurprisingly, many of his cohorts harbor some very similar feelings to mine.

While the crew of White Base is inexperienced, the Zeon forces in pursuit are anything but. In particular, the titular Ramba Ral is shown to be a very capable commander in this volume. He may not have the same arrogant elegance that the dreaded Char Aznable exhibits–Ral is much more down-to-earth and straightforward in how he fights–but he is very good at what he does. He’s not afraid to personally enter the fray and takes a very hands-on approach to battle. Ral’s men are extremely loyal and gladly follow him. Ral and Zeon also have an advantage over the Federation forces. While the Gundam is representative of the pinnacle of the Federation’s technology, Zeon continues to research and improve its own weapons and mobile suits. Combined with skilled and experienced pilots and commanders, Zeon’s military can be devastatingly effective. The arms race shows no signs of slowing in the series; the development of weapons is an important aspect of any war, and so it makes sense that it would be an important part of The Origin as well.

New licenses from Seven Seas; Yen Press shutters Yen Plus

December 6, 2013 by Brigid Alverson

Seven Seas has announced a slew of new licenses in the past few weeks: two Haganai spinoffs Haganai: Club Minutes and Haganai: Now with 50% More Fail, both collections of short stories; two new Strike Witches licenses, Strike Witches: 1937 Fuso Sea Incident and Strike Witches: The Sky That Connects Us; and I Am Alice: Bodyswap in Wonderland, a gender-bender take on the original Alice in Wonderland story.

Conner Crooks, the new social media maven for Seven Seas, talks to Justin at Organization Anti-Social Geniuses about his job and what he has learned so far; since all the above licenses were announced on Twitter, Conner has been busy lately.

It’s the end of an era: The December issue of Yen Plus will be the last. The manga anthology started as a print magazine in 2008 and went digital-only in 2010.

The mobile game publisher DeNA has launched a new manga app, MangaBox; it’s free, at least for now, and has a diverse selection of previously unpublished manga from Kodansha and Shogakukan. I’ll be kicking the tires over the weekend. The Japan Times has more.

The Manga Bookshelf team discusse their Pick of the Week and take a look at next week’s new manga.

Digital Manga is releasing 30 new Harlequin titles during the holiday season, ten a week starting… yesterday. They can be found on eManga and are priced at a wallet-friendly $4.99 each.

AstroNerdBoy reviews Crunchyroll’s digital manga service—and discusses how it could be improved.

The folks at Japanator present their holiday manga gift guide. Anna N posts her own manga gift guide at Manga Report, and Lori Henderson devotes her Manga Dome podcast at Manga Xanadu to manga-themed gift suggestions.

News from Japan: Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino has some harsh words for Attack on Titan, saying it is poorly drawn and too violent. Director Hayao Miyazaki’s samurai manga will appear in Model Graphix magazine, but don’t hold your breath; the retired director wants to have eight pages done for publication, but so far he has completed only three.

Reviews: Derek Bown catches up on a couple of weeks’ worth of Shonen Jump at Manga Bookshelf, and the Bookshelf bloggers file this week’s set of Bookshelf Briefs. Ash Brown rounds up a week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga.

Sean Gaffney on vol. 7 of Alice in the Country of Clover: Cheshire Cat Waltz (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 9 of Attack on Titan (The Fandom Post)
Ash Brown on Black Bard (Experiments in Manga)
Ash Brown on vol. 27 of Blade of the Immortal (Experiments in Manga)
Ash Brown on Blade of the Immortal: Legend of the Sword Demon (Experiments in Manga)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 9 of Bokurano: Ours (The Comic Book Bin)
A Library Girl on vols. 2-8 of Chi’s Sweet Home (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 13 of Dengeki Daisy (The Comic Book Bin)
AstroNerdBoy on vols. 29 and 30 of Fairy Tail (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Derek Bown on vol. 31 of Fairy Tail (Manga Bookshelf)
Alex Hoffman on vol. 1 of From the New World (Manga Widget)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vols. 2 and 3 of Genshiken: Second Season (Comics Worth Reading)
Anna N on vol. 3 of Happy Marriage?! and vol. 5 of Demon Love Spell (Manga Report)
Justin on vol. 1 of Heretic Monk (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of Nisekoi (Comics Worth Reading)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 8 of Ooku: The Inner Chambers (The Comic Book Bin)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 31 of Slam Dunk (I Reads You)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 17 of Soul Eater (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vols. 6 and 7 of Strobe Edge (Comics Worth Reading)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Sweet Rein (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 15 of Tegami Bachi (The Comic Book Bin)
Alex Hoffman on vols. 1 and 2 of Wolfsmund (Manga Widget)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 12 of Yotsuba&! (Comics Worth Reading)

Weekly Shonen Jump Recap: November 11-25, 2013

December 6, 2013 by Derek Bown Leave a Comment

It’s another one of those weeks, where I must apologize for galavanting about being a responsible adult and not making time to write about manga. For this I sincerely apologize. And to save you all from having to read through three separate reviews I say we keep things simple this week and just give a basic overview of my opinions the past couple weeks.

Nisekoi Ch. 98 – 100
Nisekoi has been great the past few weeks. Getting a backstory for Onodera was unexpected but much appreciated. I particularly enjoyed seeing things from her point of view because all of Raku’s reactions in the chapter can be explained by the fact that he’s got a crush on her, but she has no idea. The Tsugumi chapter was great, even if it followed a formula that this series has used before. The fact that it focuses on something a bit less stereotypically girly probably helps. And of course, with chapter one hundred we get an entire chapter focusing on Chitoge. And while she isn’t my favorite character of the series, this most recent chapter provides all of the goofy expressions and comedy I’ve come to expect from Nisekoi. So there are no complaints. Though now I wish the series was about Chitoge’s parents instead of her and Raku.

Naruto Ch. 654 – 655
We finally got rid of Obito, and it looks like he’s going to get his redemption yet. Which I wouldn’t mind, if it weren’t for the fact that Kishimoto has basically been making him more annoying with each passing chapter. And, if nothing else, we get an entire two page spread with all the cast of Naruto looking like they’re completely constipated. And no, I am not above making those kinds of jokes.

One Piece Ch. 727 – 729
If there was any doubt that Doflamingo was a bastard, well these past several chapters executed those doubts gangland style. Kinda like what just happened to Law. The absolute destruction of the faith the people had in King Riku wasn’t bad enough, but then Doflamingo goes and kidnaps the King’s daughter and forces her to work for him in exchange for her father’s life. It’s confirmed that Violet is Viola, Princess of Dressrosa. Which would explain why she destroyed the TV showing Rebecca’s fight, what with that being her niece and all. Right now the question remains, who of Rebecca’s parents was the child of King Riku. My guess is her father. I could go into more detail here, but so much happened and a lot of it is spoilers, but it certainly looks like we’re moving into the final stages of this arc.

Seraph of the End Ch. 4 – 5
So not only does our main character continue to be awful, but now we discover that this series contains worse vampires than Twilight.

No, that is not a typo. This series knows less about vampires than the series that spawned the Sparklers. First of all, why does the vampire queen have the body of a twelve year old? When Mikaela was turned as an actual twelve year old and is now looking like a fifteen year old. So he aged? Vampires age? At least Twilight had the decency to stick to vampires never growing older. But this series just bends the rules whenever it’s convenient. I can’t see how anyone could possibly enjoy this series. Especially when we discover that the Demon Army is less like an actual army and more like a Tite Kubo version of an army. In other words, all the most incompetent people in charge and all letting their personal issues get in the way of actually being an army. Lovely. I look forward to reading more of this like I look forward to cutting out a hangnail.

World Trigger Ch. 38 – 40
World Trigger on the other hand has actually been quite enjoyable. Seeing Yuma bet the tar out of an arrogant twit is always enjoyable, and now we can actually appreciate it after actually getting to know him. The pacing is still terrible, but at least we’re willing the time away with interesting scenes. Which isn’t exactly what I could have said about this series after the first chapter.

Toriko Ch. 257 – 258
The past two chapters of Toriko were quite good. While they were aftermath and transitionary chapters where not too much happened actionwise, we still get a lot of good character moments sprinkled here and there. The moment between Chin Chin and Chiyo was particularly appreciated. Shounen manga aren’t known for their great portrayals of adults and their relationships, so seeing one dealt with quite well here really worked for me. Other than that, it looks like Neo is going to be moving to the Gourmet World, and after the near destruction of the human world I don’t think we can avoid it any longer. Toriko and his friends will have to step into the Gourmet world. Whether to save Komatsu or not, but certainly to go after Neo and get food for the now starving masses.

Bleach Ch. 556 – 558
Komamura’s fight against Bambietta was actually quite solid. It set a good pace, gave us proper development for the new power sets and all that. And for the most part explained what was going on properly. I’m a bit iffy about some parts that took up much more space than they should have, but for the most part I’m satisfied with the past several weeks. Which is not something I can say for other chapters.

Dragonball Z Ch. 39 – 41
We’re almost through the final battle of the Saiyan arc. This is really where the new Dragonball starts to shine. We get some great moments with the characters, some great designs, and of course some great fights. Fights that are a lot more brutal than I remember from the repetitive anime.

Let me know how the last three weeks of manga have been for you. Personally I’ve been checking out some of the Crunchyroll chapters, which I recommend you take a look at. If you want a break from Shonen Jump, try out some Kodansha chapters. But before you do, which series was your favorite the past three weeks?

If you want to hear more, check out the Manga^3 Podcast Archives.

Happy Marriage, Vol. 3 & Demon Love Spell, Vol. 5

December 5, 2013 by Anna N

Happy Marriage Volume 3

I continue to enjoy Maki Enjoji’s series about an office lady who abruptly finds herself married to a seemingly cold and domineering company president. Chiwa and Hokuto have gradually grown closer over the first two volumes of this series, and the relationship continues to develop further in the third volume. Chiwa finally deals with Hokuto when he’s in a vulnerable position when he suddenly becomes ill, and she has to tend to him at home. One thing I enjoy is the way Enjoji slips into showing action without words or thought balloons in order to show events with more emotional impact. When Hokuto wakes up in the middle of the night and sees Chiwa sleeping by the side of his bed, he looks absolutely shocked, then silently pulls her over so she can sleep more comfortably beside him. There are still some slice of life humorous moments in the manga, like when Chiwa deals with Hokuto’s hidden slovenly habits at home and her tendency to become an “Octopus Woman” when she sleeps.

The big emotional breakthrough in the volume occurs when Chiwa and Hokuto have to go visit his family, and Chiwa sees how poorly he’s treated by his relatives. This explains a great deal about his personality and motivations, and Chiwa gets so angry she is more emotionally honest about her feelings for her husband as she’s sticking up for him than she’s ever been when talking to Hokuto directly. I’m looking forward to what happens next! It is a bit odd to root for a married couple to get together, but Enjoji manages to pull this situation off with an engaging story and sympathetic characters.

Demon Love Spell Volume 5

This volume will be particularly fun for any fans of Mayu Shinjo’s series Sensual Phrase. Demon Love Spell can be depended upon to serve up plenty of humor and paranormal romance hijinks, and this volume picks things up with a funny plot device. Incubus Kagura and priestess Miko decide that they’re going to move out of Miko’s family home/shrine and her father promptly agrees! But before they go Miko’s father uses his priestly powers and puts a curse on Kagura so that he will be utterly incapable of romancing Miko in any capacity. The young teenager and incredibly old incubus struggle with finding an apartment. Miko starts working a part-time job to support them. They barely ever see each other, and it seems like their new apartment may also be haunted!

In any romance manga, misunderstandings get in the way of true love, and when Kagura decides to go into showbiz in order to make some money to support Miko, she promptly becomes jealous and concerned that he’s getting “powered up” from other women. Kagura’s demonic hotness ensures overnight success as a male model, and he soon becomes a pop sensation as well. Much is made of Kagura’s resemblance to the hero Sakuya from Sensual Phrase, and I found it hilarious that Shinjo’s habit of drawing her male heroes in a very similar fashion was acknowledged in this manner. All in all, this was another fun volume of this series. I’m definitely enjoying Demon Love Spell much more than Ai Ore, and I hope that more of Shinjo’s series get translated over here.