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Manga Gift Guide 2013

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Since Hanukkah is well underway and Christmas looms on the horizon, I thought I’d put together a list of what I’d likely buy manga loving friends, as well as what I’d like to get for the holidays!

Sweet Rein

I wrote when I reviewed it first that Sweet Rein was a great feel-good manga for the holiday season, and I still think that several weeks later! Sakura Tsukuba is an old favorite from the CMX days, so being able to read another series of hers was a real treat. Sweet Rein might be a little TOO sweet, but this is a shoujo manga about a high school girl Santa Claus falling in love with her mystical reindeer boy, so what would you expect? This is a perfect stocking stuffer for a shoujo manga fan.

Vinland Saga

I loved this manga. Sometimes you just need a narratively complex, exquisitely drawn manga about Vikings being Vikings. The deluxe hardcover makes an ideal gift, and the combination of innovative action scenes mixed with great character development makes this manga appealing to anyone who likes things that are good. I feel like this would be a great crossover manga series as well, as Yukimura’s art isn’t too manga-ish, so it might make a great gift for someone who is mainly into western comics but who wants to give manga a try. Plus, if you are starting to feel frustrated by all the holiday good cheer, there’s nothing like a few viking beheadings to serve as a stress release.

Gundam: The Origin

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You know what another good Christmas gift is!? Char Aznable! Just picture him at your family gatherings smirking in Machiavellian glee, sowing the seeds of destruction wherever he goes! OK, maybe that wouldn’t be so great for your continued health in 2014. But I feel like Vertical gave a wonderful gift to manga fans everywhere by publishing these deluxe editions of Gundam: The Origin. If you enjoy drama and giant robots fighting in space, you can’t go wrong with this series.

Sailor Moon Box Sets

Sailor Moon! In box set formats! If you don’t have them already, buy them in boxes! Actually, I’m thinking of picking up the second box set to finish up my collection.

The box sets have STICKERS! SAILOR MOON STICKERS! By the Power of the Moon, I will decorate your laptop!!!!

Manga by Kyoko Okazaki

I haven’t read Pink yet, but I’m putting it on this list because it would be a great present for me!!! I want to read it! Helter Skelter was so cynical and bonkers, I’m looking forward to reading any of Okazaki’s work.

I think you could induce whiplash in someone by giving them both Sweet Rein and Helter Skelter, but why not? Reading this jarringly cynical take on the fashion world was entertaining, even if I did sometimes feel like I needed to bleach my brain a tiny bit afterwards.

Josei Disguised as Shoujo from Viz Media

I’m pretty stoked that Viz is releasing Happy Marriage and Midnight Secretary under their Shojo Beat line. And really, what could be more festive than vampire bosses who are harsh and demanding feeding on their secretaries and falling in love with them due to their awesome blood or secretaries forced into a marriage of convenience with their strict and stuck-up but secretly caring bosses? There might be a bit of a repetitive theme here, but I love it!

Black Bard

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Black BardCreator: Ichiya Sazanami
U.S. publisher: One Peace Books
ISBN: 9781935548386
Released: November 2013
Original release: 2011-2012

Ichiya Sazanami’s Black Bard was originally published in Japan between 2011 and 2012 in three individual volumes. The English-language edition of Black Bard, released in 2013 by One Peace Books, is a single-volume omnibus with newly created cover art. I wasn’t previously familiar with Sazanami’s work and for good reason–Black Bard was not only his debut manga in English, it was also his first series to be released in Japan after winning the Media Factory Manga Award in 2011. Black Bard was initially serialized in Media Factory’s manga magazine Monthly Comic Gene which is frequently described as publishing shōnen manga for a shōjo fanbase. I haven’t been following the magazine or Sazanami very closely, but the licensing of Black Bard caught my attention for a couple of reasons: one, I generally tend to find One Peace Books’ offerings rather interesting, and two, I can’t resist the combination of music and magic.

Traveling from town to town is a somewhat sullen young man, a wandering minstrel known only as Black Bard. He is famous for his wonderful singing voice; it would not be an exaggeration to call his performances magical. Black Bard enjoys the freedom (and coin) his songs have allowed him as well as the happiness he is able to bring to others through them. Even so, he tries to keep his distance and there are very few people who would dare to call Black Bard their friend. There is Snow-Snow, a young huntress who greatly admires Black Bard and his knowledge of the world, and Windy, a traveling merchant and beast man who first met him when they were children, but Black Bard even discourages their friendship. But now that a powerful organization is interested in Black Bard, his magic song, and the past he’s tried to keep hidden, he needs friends more than ever. Not that he would admit it.

The music aspect of Black Bard was definitely one of the major draws of the manga for me. Black Bard describes himself as a mere musician, but there is undeniably magic in his song. He claims not to cast enchantments, but his music does affect others even when he is not deliberately trying to do so. Of course there are the times that Black Bard very intentionally uses the power of his music to alter reality and manipulate other people. Somewhat surprisingly, by the end of the series Black Bard has almost turned into a battle manga. Music is a significant part of those fights. But in addition to a form of magic, music’s role in Black Bard is also of a more traditional sort. The power of music, both magical and otherwise, provides comfort and brings people together. It is used as a way to convey stories and express emotion, and as a way to keep legends and history from being forgotten.

While it isn’t without its flaws, I had a tremendous amount of fun reading Black Bard. Admittedly, the world building is a mess and the story is all over the place, but I can’t deny that I enjoyed the manga. At first Black Bard seems to be episodic, but once Windy and Snow-Snow make their appearance the story starts to focus in on the Black Bard’s mysterious past. Granted, some of that backstory would have been more effective had it been revealed earlier in the manga and some things are never adequately explained. As the manga progresses, the references to Alice in Wonderland become increasingly prominent. However, those references don’t actually add much to Black Bard except to lend a few names and influence some of the character designs. In general, Black Bard is very attractive art-wise and is an entertaining mix of silliness and drama. I know that I would certainly be interested in reading more of Sazanami’s work.

Manga the Week of 12/4

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SEAN: First week of the month. You know what that means. Let’s go.

Dark Horse has the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund’s volume on Manga Challenges And Best Practices, which, given its authorship, I will merely leave here to let you all know it’s available. :)

ASH: Well, if you’re not going to say anything, then I will! I got my hands on an early copy a few months ago and thought it was great resource.

MJ: Thanks, Ash!

SEAN: Alice Love Fables: Toy Box is a Seven Seas anthology with stories from a) Alice in the Country of Hearts, as released (in part) by Seven Seas; b) Crimson Empire, as released by Seven Seas; and c) Arabians Lost, as not released by Seven Seas, mostly as it’s the only one of these otome game adaptations not to get an actual series.

ANNA: I have a fairly high tolerance of Alice in the Country of series, but stretching it to an anthology series might be a bit too much for me.

trustmeiknowwhatimdoing

SEAN: Dance In The Vampire Bund has another new spinoff, this one called The Memories of Sledge Hammer. It does not feature David Rasche at all, so I am profoundly disinterested.

ASH: I…actually haven’t read any of the Dance in the Vampire Bund manga, yet.

MJ: I feel certain I never will.

ANNA: I doubt I will either.

SEAN: And Kanokon has an omnibus collecting two new volumes of this supernatural harem comedy (not to be confused with Seven Seas’ other supernatural harem comedies).

There’s also Vol. 3 of The Sacred Blacksmith, which hasn’t knocked me out, but has proven to be better than expected.

On the Viz front, there’s Vol. 5 of Demon Love Spell, which is a hell of a lot of fun and also sexy to boot.

MJ: I kinda can’t wait for this. I’m definitely hooked on this series.

ANNA: It is hilarious. I do wish more of Mayu Shinjo’s angsty series were published over here.

SEAN: Dengeki Daisy is coming to an end, but that end is not out here yet. Instead, we get lucky Vol. 13. If you like shoujo at all, you should be reading this.

MICHELLE: I’ve fallen behind with Dengeki Daisy but will be catching up soon!

ASH: I used consider Dengeki Daisy a guilty pleasure, but I’ve gotten over that and just enjoy the series.

MJ: I dropped Dengeki Daisy early on (not for any profound reason, just time) and I’ve begun to regret it.

ANNA: I always enjoy a new volume of Dengeki Daisy.

devil12

SEAN: The penultimate volume of A Devil and Her Love Song really needs to cut back on the angst and trauma and start wrapping things up happily. Do I expect this to happen here? No.

MJ: Heh.

ANNA: That being said, it is somehow weirdly refreshing along with all the angst and trauma, just because the heroine’s personality is so distinctive.

SEAN: The 3rd Dragon Ball omnibus, because there are always new generations of fans.

ASH: I’m glad that Viz is finding ways to keep this series in print–I’m one of those people who somehow missed it the first few times around.

SEAN: Vol. 3 of Happy Marriage?! will no doubt feature more fretting, worrying, and self-doubt, hopefully mixed with some nice romance and comedy.

MJ: No doubt. And no doubt I’ll read it.

ANNA: I’ve read it and it continues to be great!

SEAN: Hunter x Hunter 31 is out. The manga’s back on hiatus in Japan, so I’m not sure when it will dribble to a halt here. Again.

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan started a new arc last time, and I expect things will be quite exciting and supernatural in a “this is pretty good, but not great” way.

One Piece Vol. 69. (cough) You’d think Nami and Robin would be on the cov–(whack) Ow!

Skip Beat! is up to Vol. 32. Easily Hana to Yume’s longest running ongoing series, it may be wrapping up soon, but not yet. Still great.

MICHELLE: I’m very excited about this one!

ASH: Me, too!

ANNA: Probably my most favorite insanely long shoujo manga series.

slamdunk31

SEAN: Slam Dunk ends with Vol. 31. A terrific sports manga, and hopefully it has whetted fans’ appetite in case Viz wants to, say, license another ongoing Jump basketball series. Hint, hint.

MICHELLE: And this one! I’ve been saving up the last five volumes to read in one big chunk. It’s gonna be awesome.

ASH: I’m behind in Slam Dunk, but it really is a great series.

ANNA: Slam Dunk is wonderful.

SEAN: Toriko is in the Meteor Garlic arc, and this is Volume 19. I like the series a lot, but it’s hard to really comment on when it comes out.

Lastly, Voice Over: Seiyuu Academy has its second volume drop. It’s classic workaday Hakusensha shoujo, with a fun if dense lead.

MJ: I’m eyeing this with a little bit of dread, but it’ll probably reel me in.

MICHELLE: It might. I definitely liked the first volume more than I expected to.

ANNA:I enjoyed the first volume much more than I expected to.

SEAN: That’s a big pile. Any choices?

Sweet Rein, Vol. 1

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By Sakura Tsubasa. Released in Japan as “Yoroshiku Master” by Hakusensha, serialized in the magazine LaLa DX. Released in North America by Viz.

It’s rare to find a manga series with so many things I’m wary of and so many things that I love in the same package. Sweet Rein manages to hit all my buttons, both the good and bad ones. It’s fortunate that it’s only a 3-volume series, as I suspect this isn’t sustainable in the long-term, but as a short romantic comedy, it’s quite readable. Even the unrelated short story at the end manages to be deeper than I thought while also briefly appalling me. Sweet Rein pulls in about ten different directions.

sweetrein1

The first thing that surprised me is the degree to which this is a magical girl series. Animal companion (who is also the romantic lead, but let’s save that for another paragraph) finds a somewhat melancholic girl dissatisfied with her life and shows her that she can bring happiness to the world. In this case, the animal companion is a reindeer who is actually a young man named Kaito. His entire family is reindeer (on his mother’s side), and when he meets our heroine, Kurumi, it’s love at first sight. In fact, it’s more than that. The Japanese title of this series translates as “Hello, Master!”, and it becomes clear that Kaito is bound to Kurumi, both physically and emotionally. This doesn’t bother him at all, but gives her some difficulties. What part of his feelings are his own heart, and what is the magic “making” him love her?

Because this is a magical girl series deep down, I was a bit more forgiving of some of the more ridiculous plot contrivances, though the Spirit of Christmas curing cancer was a bit much even for me. It’s far more fun to focus on Kurumi, who is a more down-to-earth and practical person than many shoujo heroines, and doesn’t even crack a smile till towards the end of the first chapter. Her background will be familiar to readers of this genre – mother long dead, father works long hours to support them so he’s never home, all her friends out with guys for Christmas. The Japanese reading of Christmas as being “Love + Santa” really comes into play here, with little to no religious subtext. (And thank God for that.) As for the reindeer thing, it would seem that Kaito’s body is ‘default human’, so I can deal. They do make a cute couple.

The side story is unrelated to the main action, being a one-shot about an immortal vampire (who looks like a cute young man) being saddled with a daughter from a woman that he had bedded some time ago. Most of the chapter is actually decent, with a good look at what it’s like to be an immortal and watch everyone you love die, and a nice vampire mythology that basically makes “turning” someone pot luck – either they die or they become vampires, they usually die, and it’s not controllable. Unfortunately, the entire thing is nearly upended by a very unfortunate choice at the end, where the art and storyline dovetail in exactly the way I was hoping they wouldn’t the moment this little girl showed up. Bleah.

Overall, though, I think the good parts of this manga outweighed the bad. It’s the sort of series that I suspect you shouldn’t think too deeply about, which makes it a bad fit for me but a great choice for anyone looking for some Christmas escapism.

Status Updates & Station Identification

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Hello, Manga Bookshelf readers!

There’s been a lot of discussion recently regarding various comics sites and what they do, actually, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk about that, plus a bit about what’s going on right now and where the hell I’ve been lately.

I’ll begin with the latter. I’m sure you’ve all noticed that I’ve been posting very seldom over the past two months. The reason is that my work life is in the midst of a monumental upheaval, which has left me little time for writing of any kind. Fortunately, though this will certainly persist through the end of the year, come 2014, things will be different. Very different. This difference is new (and a bit scary), but it will also open up my schedule somewhat, and ultimately should put me in a better position to run this site than I’ve been in for quite some time. So while the main site may appear scant at the moment, you can expect this to change over the course of the next couple of months.

Now for a bit of station identification. Despite my recent absence, the Manga Bookshelf network has been humming merrily along, thanks to the ongoing efforts of Sean, Anna, Brigid, and our newest blogger, Ash. One of the major advantages to being not so much a group blog, but rather a group of blogs, is that while I may exercise editorial authority over what appears on the main site, our bloggers have complete autonomy over their own, and their personal approaches vary greatly. I won’t presume to define any of them, but I know what I’m looking for when I browse each of their blogs.

From Sean, I expect frequent reviews and news about current manga, in a deceptively casual style from a man who has already read more manga than I’m likely to consume in my entire lifetime (mixed in with occasional discussion of Frank Zappa and Doctor Who). Anna‘s librarian instincts are always at work in her clear, straightforward (often funny) reviews and her dabbling in things like otome games… as is her unabashed addiction to romance manga. Also a librarian, Ash puts his organized, deeply eloquent mind to work on regular reviews, weekly roundups, and “random musings” ranging from things such as Mahjong Manga to Queer Theory. And, of course, Brigid can be counted on to provide links to whatever is going on in the manga blogosphere.

As for me, I will admit to being less interested in writing straight-out reviews or news posts, and more likely to indulge myself in other types of discussion, like long-winded roundtables on favorite manga series (Basara, Tokyo Babylon, Wild Adapter, Banana Fish, and so on), essays on female-aimed fanservice, feminism, and women’s manga, personal musings of many kinds, and of course my most beloved Off the Shelf column co-written with Michelle Smith. Michelle’s blog has been quiet lately, too, but the two of us will always be back with our mix of short reviews, themed columns, and leisurely looks at longer series ranging from classic shoujo (Moon Child) to recent girls’ manhwa (Chocolat), from long-running shounen (Fullmetal Alchemist) to beloved josei (Paradise Kiss), to titles that push the boundaries of several categories at once (Loveless).

Add a group of regular columnists in North America and across the globe, and it becomes pretty difficult to define us. Sometimes we’re critics. Occasionally we’re journalists. We’re always fans. Demographically, we’re a lot like you. So, though our writing may not fit neatly into popular definitions of any of the above, we hope this means that we’re doing right by you.

Thanks to everyone who has followed Manga Bookshelf over the past six years, for your loyal readership and your thoughtful comments. I look forward to seeing more of you in 2014!

Manga Giveaway: Fairy Tail Feast

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For those of you in the United States, a Happy Thanksgiving! And for those of you who are not, a Happy End of November! And since it is the end of the month, that means it’s time for another giveaway here at Experiments in Manga. As is tradition, and because Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, November’s manga giveaway will feature multiples volumes. In this case, I have a Fairy Tail feast in store for one lucky participant. This month you’ll all have a chance to win volumes thirty, thirty-one, and thirty-two of Hiro Mashima’s manga series Fairy Tail as published by Kodansha Comics. As always, the giveaway is open worldwide!

Bonus! Hungry for even more Fairy Tail? Funimation has been kind enough to provide an early copy of the movie Fairy Tail: Phoenix Priestess for this giveaway! Scheduled for release in December, you have a chance to win it now, or guarantee a copy by pre-ordering it.

Fairy Tail, Volume 30 Fairy Tail, Volume 32
Fairy Tail: Phoenix Priestess

Fairy Tail recently reached a milestone in its English publication. It can now claim its place among all of the series that have lasted for at least thirty volumes in English. In part because of its length, Fairy Tail is a series that I probably would have never gotten around to reading except that someone very deliberately put the manga into my hand. For me, I don’t bat an eye when a manga reaches ten or so volumes. When a series is around twenty volumes, I still consider it fairly manageable. But when a series hits thirty volumes or more, it becomes rather daunting and I start to seriously consider whether it is worth the investment of my time and money to pursue it. Sometimes the answer is yes and sometimes the answer is no. Obviously, if the series has lasted for so long it must have at least some merit to it. Either that, or an extremely devoted fanbase. There are several thirty-plus manga series that I adore and count among my favorites.

So, you may be wondering, how can you win a Fairy Tail feast?

1) In the comments below, tell me about your general feelings or opinions regarding long-running manga series.
2) For a second entry, simply name a manga not mentioned by me or by someone else that has at least thirty volumes published in English. (I know of at least twenty-five series.)
3) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me).

And there you have it! For this giveaway, each person can earn up to three entries. As usual, there is one week to submit comments. If you have trouble leaving comments, or if you would prefer, entries can be e-mailed to phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com and I will post them in your name. The giveaway winner will be randomly selected and announced on December 4, 2013.

VERY IMPORTANT: Include some way that I can contact you. This can be an e-mail address, a link to your website, Twitter username, or whatever. If I can’t figure out how to get a hold of you and you win, I’ll just draw another name.

Contest winner announced–Manga Giveaway: Fairy Tail Feast Winner

Pick of the Week: Pink, Titans

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potw-11-25ASH: There are a few interesting things being released this week, but there is one volume that especially stands out for me: Kyoko Okazaki’s Pink. Originally published in 1989, the manga is of the earliest successes from one of the most influential mangaka in josei. I was greatly impressed by Okazaki’s Helter Skelter, also released by Vertical this year, so I’m particularly looking forward to reading Pink.

MICHELLE: Pink is definitely the one I’m looking forward to the most. I am also amused by how innocuous its cover looks, given the plot synopsis!

SEAN: I am looking forward to Pink, which sounds great. My Pick, though, is for the 9th volume of Attack on Titan. It really is quite a pivotal volume, with all the various plot bits that have been dropped over the last several books coming together and making sense. Plus we get a great cliffhanger into what looks like an even more pivotal Volume 10. This is not the runaway breakout hit of 2013 for nothing.

ANNA: I am also very much looking forward to Pink. I’m so glad Vertical has decided to bring out some quality josei titles!

MJ: Well, I pretty much already declared Pink as my pick of the week, and I have no good reason to contradict myself, so my choice this week is clear. I really enjoyed Helter Skelter, and I’m thrilled that we’re seeing more Okazaki this quickly. Thanks, Vertical!

What looks good to you this week?

My Week in Manga: November 18-November 24, 2013

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My News and Reviews

I’ve never run a poll before, so I’m probably more excited about this than I should be, but you all currently have the opportunity to vote on my next monthly manga review project. I’ve narrowed it down to five different options–a mix of individual series and thematic collections–and am letting readers decide which manga I will be focusing on next. Check out the post for all the details. The poll will run through the end of November, so please come and vote!

Last week I posted my review of Hinoki Kino’s manga No. 6, Volume 3. I am very happy to be able to say that the series continues to improve. I’m really looking forward to the next volume. And for your reading pleasure, here are a couple of interesting articles that I happened across online last week: A Short History Of Japanese Sign Language (with a fascinating connection to manga) and Are Comics Too Hot For Apple?, about the impact of Apple’s inconsistent policies when it comes to digital comics, including manga.

Quick Takes

Darkside BluesDarkside Blues written by Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Yuho Ashibe. I think I’ve suspected it for a while, but reading Darkside Blues seems to confirm it–Kikuchi may have some great ideas and settings for his stories, but he can’t quite seem to focus long enough to pull them all together into something coherent. Darkside Blues features many of the elements that I’ve come to expect from Kikuchi’s work: a mix of near-future technology, magic, and bizarre horror; evil organizations bent on taking over the world, crushing those that would stand in their way; a tall, dark, and handsome (well, androgynously beautiful) anti-hero. I’m fairly certain the manga is related to Kikuchi’s Demon City universe, or at least it makes reference to it. There are some great scenes here and there, but the story as a whole is a mess and doesn’t make much sense. Kikuchi claims that the story is complete, but it feels like a small part of something much larger. However, I did like Ashibe’s artwork, and so will probably look into tracking down Bride of Deimos because of that.

Fairy Tail, Volume 32Fairy Tail, Volume 32 by Hiro Mashima. Now that the preliminaries are over, the Grand Magic Games proper have begun. Eight teams will be competing in the Games which consists of a mix of event challenges and battles. The teams themselves represent guilds that have been encountered in the series before as well as a few new ones. One thing that irked me a little was that there are actually two teams from Fairy Tail participating. That in itself didn’t bother me, but the fact that it was played up as a surprise (to both the readers and the characters) was unconvincing. Also, it has been established that Fairy Tail has always been one of the weakest guilds to participate in the Games, so I find it a little difficult to believe that not one but two teams made it past preliminaries this year. That annoyance aside, the event challenge in this volume was actually pretty interesting. I appreciate that the players have to put some actual thought and strategy into it instead of simply relying on who can out-magic the other. Magical skill certainly helps, but being clever is important, too.

I'll Be Your SlaveI’ll Be Your Slave by Miki Araya. I’ll admit it. I laughed. Several times. Out loud, even. I’ll Be Your Slave is so incredibly ridiculous, and intentionally so, that I just couldn’t help it. Moriya is having a difficult time finding the perfect model for his project when he happens across Ouno, a beautiful but extraordinarily lazy teenager. Fortunately, Ouno’s job will basically amount to him sitting around and looking pretty. He’s easily tired and loses interest in things quickly, but if he doesn’t want to put the effort into doing something he simply lets someone else do it for him. (This even includes walking from place to place.) Moriya is more than willing to pamper Ouno. Mopping up sweat? Check. Foot massages? Check. Sex? Sure, why not! I’ll Be Your Slave is definitely more of a comedy than it is a romance. The humor is great and the over-the-top reaction shots–complete with dramatic poses and bursts of sparkles–are hilarious. The characters admittedly don’t have much depth to them, but that’s also part of what makes the manga so funny.

Swan, Volume 1Swan, Volumes 1-3 by Kyoko Ariyoshi. While I appreciate and admire dance and dancers, and even watch dance performances from time to time, I’ve never had a particular interest in ballet. That’s probably the primary reason that it took me so long to get around to reading Swan. (It’s also out of print and some of the volumes can be a little hard to find.) But, I kept hearing how wonderful Swan was, so I finally made a point of seeking it out. I should have done it sooner, because it really is a fantastic series. I may not be a dancer but I am a trained musician; there are many parallels between the two arts seen in Swan with which I can personally identify. The importance of basics. The grueling practices that push the body, mind, and soul to their breaking points. The good-natured competition and the vicious rivalries. The passion, drama, frustration, and desire that go hand in hand with creative expression. The complete joy experienced with success and the utter despair felt at failure. Swan is incredible; I can’t wait to read more.

RightStuf to release sixth volume of Hetalia

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Hetalia 6

RightStuf will publish volume 6 of Hetalia: Axis Powers next spring, with six color pages in the first print run; after those books are gone, the volume, like the other volumes published by RightStuf, will be print-on-demand and black an white only.

Seven Seas has licensed The Lucifer and Biscuit Hammer; if that title sounds familiar, it’s because it was previously published in English by JManga.

And Vertical has licensed Cardfight!! Vanguard, which as far as I know has never (legally) been published in English.

The Manga Bookshelf team discusses this week’s new releases.

Erica Friedman brings us all the latest in this week’s edition of Yuri Network News.

Shuho Sato

Say Hello to Black Jack creator Shuho Sato had a stroke last week, but he assured his fans via his blog that he is fine. Sato had been having warning symptoms for several days but ignored them; he finally took a cab to the hospital. He seems to be feeling well enough to goof around, as you can see from the photo at left, which he sent to a Japanese news service.

Connie C. looks at some underground manga anthologies in English.

Ash Brown is musing about which manga series to write about next.

Here’s a video of Japanamerica author Roland Kelts talking about Osamu Tezuka at the Japan Society in New York.

News from Japan: A Lucky Star spinoff is in the works. Weekly Shonen Jump is wrapping up two series, Atsushi Nakamura’s Kuro Kuroku and Kazuro Kyō’s Himedol!!!, and launching another, Tomohiro Yagi’s Iron Knight. Nanae Chrono is returning to Peacemaker Kurogane for a one-shot that will be bundled into a mook with several special chapters of Countdown 7 Days. Peach-Pit will bring Rozen Maiden to a close in three chapters.

Reviews: The Manga Bookshelf team keeps it short and sweet in their latest round of Bookshelf Briefs. Ash Brown looks at a week of manga reading at Experiments in Manga.

A Library Girl on vol. 1 of Arata: The Legend (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 8 of Attack on Titan (The Fandom Post)
A Library Girl on vols. 6-14 of Black Butler (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Matthew Cycyk on vol. 1 of A Centaur’s Life (Matt Talks About Manga)
Katherine Hanson on vol. 1 of A Centaur’s Life (Yuri no Boke)
A Library Girl on vol. 1 of The Guin Saga Manga: The Seven Magi (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
TSOTE on vol. 1 of Juu (Three Steps Over Japan)
Justin on vol. 1 of Marin (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Sean Gaffney on The Mysterious Underground Men (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Ash Brown on vol. 3 of No. 6 (Experiments in Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 45 of Oh! My Goddess (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Ken H on vol. 2 of Sailor Moon Short Stories (Comics Should Be Good)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Senran Kagura: Skirting Shadows (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
A Library Girl on vols. 1-6 of The Story of Saiunkoku (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Matthew Cycyk on vol. 2 of Wolfsmund (Matt Talks About Manga)
Justin on vol. 2 of Wolfsmund (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)

Pre-Holiday Giveaway: 5 #1s

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I’m giving away 5 first volumes of various manga series!

You can win:

Voice Over! Seiyu Academy #1
Tiger & Bunny #1
The Beautiful Skies of Houou High #1
The Empty Empire #1
Alice in the Country of Clover #1

Just leave a comment here mentioning any manga you would most like to get (or give) as a holiday present for entry.

Edited to add:

All 5 volumes will go to one winner, selected at random.

Giveaway will be open for 1 week, will announce the winners on Monday in 8 days.