Blog

Manga the Week of 8/14

August 8, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, Anna N, Michelle Smith and MJ 3 Comments

SEAN: First of all, I’m giving up on moving Yen to when I get it. Diamond is shipping it next week to me, but that would mean 25 books this week, and only 3 to discuss next week. That’s just imbalanced. I’ll go back to using Amazon’s street date, and just revel in things on my own earlier.

We start off with another Tezuka manga, as Vol. 1 of Triton of the Sea hits stores via Digital Manga Publishing. Another late 60s/early 70s Tezuka title, this was serialized one page at a time in Kodansha’s daily newspaper Sankei Shimbun. The story involves humans and mermaids, and is not as peppy and cheerful as Unico and Atomcat were.

ANNA: This looks interesting!

SEAN: DMP are slowly returning to print, which means more BL titles as well. The Tyrant Falls in Love has hit 8 volumes, and judging by the description it’s done that by basically being a giant soap opera. Expect emotions.

MICHELLE: I’ve never read any of this series, but I’m very happy to see DMP returning to print editions.

ANNA: I’m also glad to see that DMP is returning to print.

MJ: I hated the first volume of this series and then loved the second. I’ve been warned off later volumes of the series by fans who know my tastes, but I’m still glad to see it returning to print.

SEAN: Meanwhile, Wild Honey is a one-and-done volume that involves… sigh… werewolves. Really hot werewolves, no doubt.

Kodansha has the 2nd Battle Angel Alita: Last Order omnibus. I think this volume will feature the title’s descent into the Tournament Arc from Hell, which it takes several years to emerge from. That said, the fights are quite well drawn.

And the second volume of No. 6 drops, where no doubt our hero continues to find out how this world really operates and has more not-quite-ship tease with his newfound companion.

MICHELLE: I’m going to give this series one more volume at least, but I’m feeling a little meh so far.

SEAN: SubLime has the 2nd volume of Blue Morning, for those who want butlers and masters and really well-done cover art.

MICHELLE: Yay!

MJ: I kinda can’t wait for this.

SEAN: For those who don’t want well-done cover art, there’s Embracing Love, debuting here in a 2-in-1 omnibus. See how the leads stare at you. They are serious about being gay. VERY serious.

MICHELLE: *snerk* I believe this is considered a BL classic, so I’m interested to read it.

MJ: Agreed.

SEAN: Viz has some amazing titles coming out this week, making my Pick of the Week either a chore or something I will have to cheat on. Dorohedoro hits double digits, which I am honestly delighted by. Still my favorite SigIkki title, and it looks like it may be hitting a point of no return soon in regards to Caiman.

EXCEL SAGA 26! The second to last volume! Do you realize that we are almost at a point where you will not be buying new volumes of Excel Saga? This makes me so sad! And yet, new volume! Everyone must buy it! It has Homestuck, Warehouse 13, and Welcome to Night Vale cameos in it! Really! Trust me! Would I lie to you?

MJ: Someday, Sean, I’m going to try to read this series, and it will be entirely because of your undying enthusiasm.

SEAN: InuYasha’s VIZBIG edition hits Vol. 16, containing… (calculates) 3 more volumes! Honestly, I can’t remember. I think it’s somewhere in the 40s. Takahashi fantasy at its most popular. I really must catch up one day.

MICHELLE: I still haven’t finished InuYasha. I think I have the last ten volumes hanging around here unread.

ANNA: I am frightened by the length of this series, but it is totally something I would check out of the library one day.

SEAN: Itsuwaribito 9 brings us to a village ruled by women who have no use for men. Oh dear. In a shonen manga? Please don’t have the village learn a valuable lesson about how awesome the male lead is…

I’ve been waiting for this debut for a while now. Magi is one of Shonen Sunday’s more successful current titles, and I hope the title breaks out here in North America in a big way. Retelling the Arabian Nights the shonen fantasy way, with verve and sass. And yes, starts slow. All Sunday titles start slow.

MICHELLE: I was pleasantly surprised by volume one, so if it gets even better from here, that’s definitely promising.

ANNA: Hmm, this sounds like a good shonen series for me to try out.

MJ: I’ve definitely got this in my queue!

SEAN: Neon Genesis Evangelion 3-in-1 gives us Vol. 4, containing Vols. 10-12 of the original title, and everything begins to go completely to hell here. Not that it had all that far to wander, honestly.

If you can’t get enough of the main Tiger & Bunny series, how about a doujinshi anthology? No, not like that, you pervs. This is 100% clean, though no doubt FILLED with ship tease. Vol. 1 of the anthology debuts from Viz.

MJ: I gotta say… meh. Unfortunately.

SEAN: Lastly, the X 3-in-1 hits Vol. 6. If I’m not mistaken, this is where the volumes will have to end, at least until CLAMP returns to the title to wrap it up. Which ain’t happening anytime soon. In the meantime, enjoy where it leaves off.

MICHELLE: I have no idea if it’s still available, but the anime did offer an ending of sorts. Or at least a reasonably satisfying stopping point.

ANNA: This is really one of my favorite CLAMP series despite the lack of ending.

MJ: I’m actually really looking forward to this, even though I’ve already read the not!ending. These lovely editions really have given me a new appreciation for the series.

SEAN: Besides EXCEL SAGA!, what else interests you here?

Manga Giveaway: 801 Manga Giveaway Winner

August 7, 2013 by Ash Brown

And the winner of the 801 Manga Giveaway is…Linda Liu!

As the winner, Linda will be receiving a new copy of Shiuko Kano’s boys’ love collection Affair as published by 801 Media. This giveaway was a part of the Boys’ Love Manga Moveable Feast and so I asked entrants to tell me about a boys’ love or yaoi mangaka that they would like to read more of in English. (See the 801 Manga giveaway comments for all of the responses and juicy details.) I’ve compiled the list of creators who were mentioned along with any of their manga that I know of that have been licensed in English. (Or, in the case of CLAMP, a small selection of their available manga.) A great way to encourage publishers to release more of mangaka’s work in English is to make that sure their current offerings do well!

First, those creators who have yet to be licensed in English:

Nojiko Hayakawa
Junko
Akira Kamuro
Neko Kanda
Yonezou Nekota
Hiroi Takao

And now, those creators currently available in English:

CLAMP (a small selection)
Cardcaptor Sakura
Clover
Legal Drug
Tokyo Babylon
Wish
X

Lily Hoshino
Alone in My King’s Harem
Chocolate Surprise
Love Quest
Mr. Flower Bride
Mr. Flower Groom
My Only King

Saika Kunieda
Future Lovers

Asumiko Nakamura
Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist
(not boys’ love, but still very good!)

Muku Ogura
Castle Mango
Secrecy of the Shivering Night
Sentimental Garden Lover

Kaim Tachibana
Boys Love
Pieces of a Spiral

Kotetsuko Yamamoto
Blooming Darling
Doki Doki Crush
Love and Trap
Mad Cinderella
New Beginnings
Tweeting Love Birds

Thank you to everyone who visited Experiments in Manga and entered the giveaway! I hope to see you all again for the next one, too.

Sailor Moon anime is on the way!

August 7, 2013 by Brigid Alverson

Big news for Sailor Moon fans: The anime is coming this winter, and it will be live streamed on NicoNico Douga, although there is no guarantee it will be subtitled.

I talked to Viz CEO Ken Sasaki at San Diego about how Viz is changing to fit the realities of the new market. One interesting statistic is that in a very short time, their digital program has grown to 10% of print (in terms of units sold).

ICv2 has a two-part interview with Viz execs Leyla Aker and Kevin Hamric in which they talk about manga sales, digital comics, and how many books Viz publishes a year—300 seems to be about right.

I also interviewed Dallas Middaugh about Kodansha Comics’ digital program, which is shifting from their app to e-book platforms such as Kindle, Nook, and iBooks.

The Manga Bookshelf team discusses this week’s new releases and reveals their picks of the week.

Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiromu Arakawa talks about her manga about life on the farm, Silver Spoon. (Via Deb Aoki.)

If you’re in the Bay Area, mark your calendar: Junko Mizuno will be at Kinokuniya on August 10.

Reviews: Here’s the latest round of Bookshelf Briefs from Manga Bookshelf. Ash Brown takes us through her week in manga at Experiments in Manga.

Matthew Alexander on vol. 4 of Black God (The Fandom Post)
Ash Brown on Black-Winged Love (Experiments in Manga)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Crimson Empire: Circumstances to Serve a Noble (ANN)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Doubt (ANN)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of The Earl and the Fairy (Lesley’s Musings… on Manga)
Ken H. on vol. 14 of Erementar Gerade (Comics Worth Reading)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 13 of Kamisama Kiss (The Comic Book Bin)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 21 of Kaze Hikaru (The Comic Book Bin)
Jocelyne Allen on Keimusho no Naka (Brain Vs. Book)
Sean Gaffney on Last of the Mohicans (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 6 of Limit (Comics Worth Reading)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 8 of Naruto (Blogcritics)
Jocelyne Allen on Pluto (Brain Vs. Book)
Kris on Princess Honey (Manic About Manga)
Matthew Cycyk on The Strange Tale of Panorama Island (Matt Talks About Manga)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 2 of Thermae Romae (ANN)
Johanna Draper Carlson on The Twin Knights (Comics Worth Reading)
Johanna Draper Carlson on Utsubora (Comics Worth Reading)
Thomas Zoth on vol. 1 of Wolfsmund (The Fandom Post)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal (Blogcritics)

Last of the Mohicans

August 7, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By Shigeru Suguira. Released in Japan initially by Shueisha; this updated edition was released by Shobunsha. Released in North America by PictureBox.

Wow. I had heard that this author was a bit surreal, so I went into this thinking I was prepared, but I was not remotely prepared. I’m not entirely sure that this manga can be read, per se. It’s an experience, almost like going to an interactive art show or something. Each page led to a new expression on my face: awe, bewilderment, sometimes staring blankly while saying “Really?” There is a story to tell, and it flows pretty well, but I’ll be honest, there’s nothing here regarding plot and characterization to talk about. Not that this is a bad thing. I found reading this to be very sensory, and absolutely would recommend it to other hardcore manga fans.

Technically, this is an adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tale, and the basic framework does sort of follow the plot. This doesn’t take place in a realistic world, however. This is the world of Wild West movies, where the East Coast can have huge mesa and rocky cliffs. It’s also very much the world of 50s comic books and strips. Photorealistic serious-minded Indians stand together with some of the goofiest faces you’ve seen this side of Doraemon. And it’s in your face the whole time – there’s no way you can try to work around it. Because this is also very comedic, despite its presence. There’s lots of fourth-wall breaking, and silly gags, and dumb Indians doing dumb things. It’s fun, but loose – one feels that if you take one wrong step along the way, you’ll end up in a place no reader has gone before.

According to the very welcome essays at the end of this book by translator Ryan Holmberg, this is how Sugiura’s style worked in general, particularly in the 60s and 70s. This edition dates from 1973-74, and is an update of the original 1953 edition. Reading the essays made me realize what my mind had been struggling with the entire time I read the manga – it felt like a collage. Pastiche isn’t quite right, because it doesn’t explain the way that the work gives a sense that anything can be pasted in from anywhere as you go. And so the two military daughters who need to be rescued are straight out of a romance comic-book and the villain of the piece is drawn completely straight, yet one of the guards is Oliver Hardy, and Wimpy from Popeye is the chef. The band Negativland once called this kind of approach culture jamming, and that’s what we see here – American and Japanese influence all thrown into one glorious canvas.

This is not the sort of manga I would recommend to any casual manga reader, nor do I think it would be a good present for kids, even if it was meant for young children in Japan. The content pretty much deals with the old, slightly racist way that Hollywood and comic books dealt with Indians, though honestly it’s much better than other contemporary works could be. But for those who really love something different in their manga, or for scholars, this is a real treat. It’s just about the right length – I’m not sure I could have taken more than the 114 pages it turned out to be, mostly as reading it can be a bit exhausting. For those who like a challenge, or art lovers, or even folks who enjoy slapstick comedy, give Last of the Mohicans a try. It’s like a yaminabe – you never quite know what ingredient will come out next.

Fannish News & Links

August 6, 2013 by MJ 4 Comments

I’m feeling very fannish these days, with so much going on in the manga blogosphere (and related circles) that pings those particular sensibilities. And when I’m feeling fannish, I want to link. So here’s a little linkblogging with a decidedly fannish hue.

First, I have to make some noise about the recent launch of Sparkler Monthly, a new, online magazine featuring original English-language fiction aimed at “girls and women aged 15-30, or anyone interested in the rough ballpark of Female Gaze.”

There are a number of reasons why this publication should be of interest to manga fans, not the least of which being that its publisher, Chromatic Press, boasts an editorial staff helmed by industry veterans Lillian Diaz-Przybyl, Lianne Sentar, and Rebecca Scoble. It’s no coincidence that one of the magazine’s headlining series is the continuation of Off*Beat, a particularly tragic casualty of TOKYOPOP’s ill-fated OEL manga initiative, originally edited by Diaz-Przybyl (you can read my review of Off*Beat‘s long-awaited 13th chapter here). From format to content, Sparkler Monthly is heavily modeled on Japanese-style popular fiction including manga, light novels, and Drama CDs.

Of even deeper interest to me, however, are these women’s fandom roots, evident everywhere, from their general sensibilities to their submission guidelines, which specifically include fanworks as legitimate elements of an online portfolio. Having come out of fandom myself, I’m keenly aware of both its incredible wealth of talent and its raw passion for fiction, the likes of which I’ve rarely experienced outside fandom circles. On a very basic level, Chromatic Press is My People, and that’s an undeniable draw.

The inaugural issue of Sparkler Monthly is free to read right now. Paid members have access to downloads (in multiple formats) of all new chapters in the magazine and other premium content—including online access to previous chapters of older series like Off*Beat. Though the free online reader is slick and works well, high-quality PDFs have me already feeling grateful that I decided to spring for a paid membership. The newest chapter of Off*Beat looks pretty great on my iPad.

In other fannish news, Khursten Santos is currently hosting the BL Manga Moveable Feast at her blog, Otaku Champloo. Khursten is a truly excellent MMF host, and she’s posted a large number of wonderful articles herself in addition to other Feast contributions. Some of my particular favorites include a look at the BL “New Wave” (From the looks of it, “New Wave” means “BL MJlikes.” Who knew?) and this countdown of 40 artists she deems part of “The Fujoshi Bible.” She also addresses the question of “BL” vs. “yaoi,” which I personally found quite enlightening.

I’ve always struggled a bit to reconcile my roots in slash fandom with my current interest in BL manga, as my early experiences with BL were dramatically opposed to the sensibilities I’d developed over the course of my fandom participation. But I’m glad I stuck with the genre, because it’s so much richer than I originally thought. Khursten’s Feast is particularly compelling, not just because she’s so knowledgable (she is), but also because she thoroughly embraces the genre as a whole. She’s a true fan, and that’s what makes the MMF really work, in my opinion.

Whether you’re a BL fan or not, you should be following Otaku Champloo this week. She’ll undoubtedly have something to teach you about the genre.

Michelle and I will be posting our (somewhat unorthodox) contribution later this week, so keep an eye out for that, too!

Lastly, manga fans everywhere rejoice as Deb Aoki (formerly of About.com) returns to the blogosphere with her own new website Manga Comics Manga. The site launched last month, offering the same deep industry knowledge and journalism chops Deb displayed throughout her years at About.com, but in a much less restrictive format.

Why is this news making me feel fannish? Well, it’s Deb who made me aware of a recent French interview with Hiromu Arakawa, author of Fullmetal Alchemist. And if you’re not aware of my intense love for Fullmetal Alchemist, you’re most likely a newcomer to Manga Bookshelf. Even as I’ve become less and less interested in shounen manga over the years, Fullmetal Alchemist remains an enduring favorite. It made my top ten list just a couple of years ago, and spawned a piece of jewelry that I still wear every day. Fullmetal Alchemist. It’s a thing.

In the interview, Arakawa talks about Fullmetal Alchemist, of course, and also her newest series Silver Spoon, currently running in Shogakukan’s Shonen Sunday, which sits higher on my personal license request list than nearly anything (topped maybe by Yumi Tamura’s 7 SEEDS or Fumi Yoshinaga’s What Did You Eat Yesterday?). Whatever journalistic restraint I may have acquired over the past few years (little though that may be), my feelings for Arakawa’s storytelling are undeniably fannish, as fierce and passionate as anything I ever felt during my active years on LiveJournal and its many successors. I’m a Hiromu Arakawa fangirl, and that’s the simple truth of it.

You can find a link to the full, translated interview at Manga Comics Manga. Thanks, Deb, for the heads up!

One of the things I love most about running Manga Bookshelf, is that it allows me to be both a critic and a fan, without having to draw clear lines between the two. But there’s no denying that, this week, I’ve mostly been a fan.

What’s been making you feel fannish lately?

It Came From the Sinosphere: Shadow of Visions

August 6, 2013 by Sara K. Leave a Comment

Example Scene

When I first picked this up and browsed through it, this was the scene that caught my eye.

Wanxiang’s dream is to win the beauty pageant so she can win the prize, return to her hometown, marry her childhood friend, and live comfortably ever after.

However, a seer has told her that it’s best for her to forget about the pageant and just return to her hometown now. But without the prize, she will be poor. And she’s certain she will win.

The pageant has started, and Wanxiang is as confident as ever.

It is the most beautiful, splendid, glorious moment of her life …

… and the end of her life.

I was struck by the contrast of her beauty and the serenity all around her, and the fact that she has just been murdered.

The Story

Yingshuang has a dream: the freedom to wander and go where she wants. Strange, I know. However, everybody expects her to marry the son of her wealthy neighbor, Wen Moyan. Though Moyan has been sweet on Yingshuang since childhood, she doesn’t have the slightest interest in being his wife.

Then one day, an apparently blind man, Shan Yumu, appears in the village. He is said to bring bad luck. In fact, he’s not blind – he’s merely tired of seeing the future. And he sees that, unless Yingshuang gives up her dream and marries Moyan, her family will soon be destroyed.

Well … not long afterwards, her home is set on fire, and Yingshuang is the sole survivor of her family. It is eventually revealed that the arsonist/murderer is … Moyan, who is so in love with Yingshuang that, after her repeated refusals of his marriage proposals, was driven to destroy her family so that she would be completely dependent on him and finally agree to marry him (note: if this is “love,” then I hope nobody ever “loves” me).

After Yingshuang frees Yumu (who had been arrested as a suspected arsonist), they start wandering together. But Moyan does not give up so easily…

Background

This is yet another Star Girls title (I have written about StarGirls before). Sheau Giun (she seems to prefer her Taiwanese name to her Mandarin name) is a regular contributor to Star Girls – she has a series running in the magazine right now.

Artwork

Can you tell this is from Taiwan and not Japan just by looking at the artwork?

I can’t. Sure, the visual sensibility is certainly informed by Chinese traditions, but that’s also true of Japanese manga set in historical China.

Of course, this is what I expect from Star Girls, which tries to be as much like Japanese shojo magazines as possible.

And this manhua can be just as bloody as Japanese shojo manga.

I like the artwork. First, it’s very effective at telling the story. It’s also clean, and pleasing to the eye (or at least my eye).

While I could go into a detailed analysis of how the artwork works, this time, I think I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Choice vs. Predestination

Well, the premise of this story is: are our fates determined, or can we choose our fate? (the answer: both, because our choices are predetermined)

The story adds a feminist slant, in that society defines women’s fates more narrowly than men’s. Yingshuang *should* just go ahead and marry Moyan, who will “love” her and spend many happy years with her, while her family can continue to prosper. All she needs to do is give up on her dream of having some freedom.

And when Yingshuang refuses this path, and Moyan decides to burn her family because he “loves” her so much, it’s *Yingshuangs’s* fault that her family is gone and that Moyan is now a criminal. No, not Moyan’s fault at all. In the real world, this victim-blaming happens all the time when men punish women for exercising autonomy.

The thing is: it’s humans who determine this. There wasn’t any supernatural force which makes Moyan act as he does; Moyan, in spite of his claims that Yingshuang’s rejection of his love “forced” him, actually chooses his own actions. However, society assigns the blame to Yingshuang because she has rejected the status quo, whereas Moyan is acting in accordance to the status quo. We later learn that, though Yumu is male, his personal circumstances are more like Yingshuang’s than Moyan’s. This is why, repeatedly throughout the story, people trust Moyan but not Yingshuang or Yumu – Yumu looks like a bum, Yingshuang is a teenage girl, but Moyan is a “charming” man from a “good” (re: powerful) family.

The story puts a neatly ironic twist in Yingshuang’s ‘fate’, but that would be a spoiler.

My History With This Manhua

When I was first nursing a curiosity about Chinese-language comics, there was precious little information available. I could piece together some bits of information from the internet, but it was not very newbie-friendly. I did, however, learn about Star Girls, and lacking better guidance, I went to a Taiwanese comic book shop and picked up the first volume of every Star Girls manhua they had in stock.

This manhua was one of them.

Some of the manhua I picked up from that grab-bag were so terrible that I am grateful that I’ve already forgotten them.

This, however, made the deepest impression. It was one of the few which I bothered to track down in its entirety.

One of the reasons I write this column is so that it will be a little easier for the next person who becomes curious about Chinese-language comics. While this column is not a comprehensive guide, I hope it’s more useful than what I was working with when I started exploring.

Availability in English

This manhua has never been licensed in English *Sara K. experiences a coughing attack*.

Conclusion

This is overall a solid read. While I can quibble about its faults (for example, that plot hole left wide open in the last volume), overall, it’s competent storytelling. I also have fond memories of it being one of the first manhua I liked.

Yet, somehow, it falls short of being so wonderful that I simply MUST SHARE WITH EVERYONE!!!! But perhaps that’s just as well. I’m fine with it going on being the manhua which I like, but which nobody else reads (not that anybody reads the manhua which I enthusiastically recommend either).

Next time: Laughing in the Wind (TV show)

Hail. In Taiwan. In JULY. Sara knows it snows in the mountains in winter, but she sure did not expect the summer to be this cold. After spending three nights at temperatures of about 12 degrees C with only a sleeping bag to keep her warm, Sara was even looking forward to returning to humid, 30+ degrees-C weather. Well, one of the reasons she went to the mountains in the first place was to get away from summer heat. In that respect, the trip was a resounding success.

Bookshelf Briefs 8/5/13

August 5, 2013 by Anna N, Sean Gaffney and Michelle Smith 4 Comments

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

Dawn of the Arcana, Vol. 10 | By Rei Toma | Viz Media – This fantasy manga featuring a misfit red-headed princess struggling with her gift to see into the past and future has developed into an engrossing story with a focus on expansive worldbuilding and political machinations. The tenth volume heads into a new direction as Nakaba and Caesar are remarried to other people, while still determined to somehow build the better world they envisioned together. Nakaba has come a long way since her more tentative appearance in the first volume, so I’m looking forward to seeing what she does as she seeks her own political power with only Loki by her side. – Anna N.

A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 10 | By Miyoshi Tomori | Viz Media – It isn’t often that a shoujo manga volume leaves me with conflicting feelings a few days after reading it, but I’ve come to expect the unexpected from this manga. While Shin has been warned off from physical intimacy with Maria due to her psychological issues, he does force the issue with traumatizing results. Maria has unsettling flashbacks as her repressed memories are triggered, and Shin continues for a bit despite her clear distress. In a way this scene almost feels like Tomori’s commentary on the way similar set-ups are romanticized in manga, but in A Devil and Her Love Song it is genuinely unsettling. I predict fallout from this volume will continue for awhile. This is one manga that is always a bit unpredictable, which is why I enjoy reading it. – Anna N

Fairy Tail, Vol. 28 | By Hiro Mashima | Kodansha Comics – Several people may have been surprised, even a bit annoyed, at Cana ignoring her friends’ plight in order to reach the goal of the S-class battle that is clearly cancelled. Now we find out why – it’s tied in to finding her father, whose identity is someone we all know. Cana’s past is rather sad and lonely, and reminds me a bit of Wendy. Meanwhile, the villains strike back in the quest to secure victory on the island, and at one point are so strong they even take out Gildarts (who, it has been said, rarely appears as he’s such a game-breaker). Luckily, Erza wins the day by, well, her psychic connection with Jellal – sorry, folks who hate him. As for Grey, he quickly sees through Ultear’s false crocodile tears. But is that going to do him any good? Still a fun shonen battle manga. – Sean Gaffney

Kaze Hikaru, Vol. 21 | By Taeko Watanabe | Viz Media – Volume 21 focuses on the fallout from Sei’s stint as an undercover spy—as a result of Okita’s feelings for her jeopardizing the mission, Sei is transferred to another company. She’s never been one for just following orders and so demands an explanation, and when Okita claims he requested the transfer because he’s sick of her, she contemplates giving up on bushi life and becoming a nun until an actual nun helps her gain perspective. I enjoyed this volume, but I was troubled by the number of times various characters equate being a girl with impetuous thinking. Too, Sei blames the female part of herself for wanting love, but isn’t it equally the girl part of her that wants to be a bushi and avenge her father and brother? This is something that Basara got right, and which I thought Kaze Hikaru did too. I must say I’m a little disappointed, though my love for the series remains intact. – Michelle Smith

Magi, Vol. 1 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – I knew absolutely nothing about Magi going in to this debut volume, but it turned out to be pretty fun! The first chapter introduces Aladdin, a young boy with a penchant for good food, pretty ladies, and super-deformity. He’s on the search for a metal vessel for his friend, Ugo the djinn, who currently resides in the flute Aladdin wears around his neck and who can be summoned in times of need. When Alibaba, a destitute young man looking to strike it rich by “clearing” one of the mysterious and deadly treasure-laden dungeons that have sprung up around the world, witnesses Ugo in action, he decides that Aladdin must be his ~~servant~~ friend and accompany him in this perilous endeavour. Magi‘s tone is light and the RPG influence strong, resulting in something that’s familiar and yet sort of refreshing. I’ll definitely be checking out volume two. – Michelle Smith

Pick of the Week: Abundance

August 5, 2013 by Michelle Smith, Sean Gaffney, Anna N and MJ 8 Comments

MICHELLE: There’s a lot of good stuff coming out this week, but since I only get to do this once a year… my pick of the week goes to volume 21 of Kaze Hikaru. Even though this particular volume disappoints me just a little (see today’s briefs column!) the series still ranks among my favorites.

ANNA: If someone else hadn’t picked Kaze Hikaru, I would have gone with that! So I will pick the first volume of Happy Marriage?! because I am always ready to celebrate new josei titles.

SEAN: It’s gotta be Kitaro for me. Ever since I first saw an anime adaptation at Otakon in 1999, I’ve been fascinated by this series. Kitaro, the mostly stoic boy hero; his father, who is an eyeball with legs; his not-quite-girlfriend Neko Musume, and most importantly, Nezumi Otoko, the worst friend ever. Creepy yokai galore. It’s gonna be great.

MJ: This is a tough week, for sure. I do like to applaud endings, so it’s difficult to pass on the final volume of Bakuman, especially now that I’ve begun to care about its primary romance, and I’m interested in all the titles listed here, as well as the second omnibus edition of Lone Wolf and Cub. But I’ll give my vote to volume four of Tsutomu Nihei’s Knights of Sidonia, out this week from Vertical. It’s got everything I could want in a mecha series, which is to say, everything I could want in any series—action, complicated characterization, heartbreak, and truly stunning artwork. I’m all in for Knights of Sidonia.

What looks good to you this week?

Bookshelf Overload: July 2013

August 2, 2013 by Ash Brown

I had some great luck in finding out of print manga in July: my collection of the ultimate edition of the Battle Royale manga is finally complete; I’m now only missing one print volume of Shotaro Ishinomori’s Cyborg 009; and I came across an entire set of Kyoko Ariyoshi’s Swan (or at least the volumes that were released in English.) More importantly, I managed to get them all below cover price, which is saying something. Other July manga acquisitions included a near-complete collection of Ai Yazawa’s Nana for an incredible price. I had been borrowing Nana from my local library; I’ve been debating picking up a copy of my own because it’s so good. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity and finally caved. But the manga I was most excited about in July was Suehiro Maruo’s The Strange Tale of Panorama Island. I have literally been waiting for this release for years. Expect a review soon!

Manga!
Animal Land, Volumes 1-4 by Makoto Raiku
Battle Royale: Ultimate Edition, Volumes 5 written by Koushun Takami, illustrated by Masayuki Taguchi
Black Jack, Volume 7 by Osamu Tezuka
Cyborg 009, Volume 8 and 10 by Shotaro Ishinomori
The Flowers of Evil, Volume 6 by Shuzo Oshimi
The Gorgeous Life of Strawberry Chan by Ai Morinaga
Hide and Seek, Volume 1 by Yaya Sakuragi
The Last of the Mochicans by Shigeru Sugiura
Limit, Volume 6 by Keiko Suenobu
Loveless, Omnibus 4 by Yun Kouga
Math Girls Manga, Volume 1 written by Hiroshi Yuki, illustrated by Mika Hisaka
Nana, Volumes 1-20 by Ai Yazawa
Ral Ω Grad, Volumes 1-4 written by Tsuneo Takano, illustrated by Takeshi Obata
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Legends, Volume 1 by Yak Haibara
The Strange Tale of Panorama Island by Suehiro Maruo
The Super-Cool Life of Strawberry Chan by Ai Morinaga
Swan, Volumes 1-15 by Kyoko Ariyoshi
Triton of the Sea, Omnibus 1 by Osamu Tezuaka
The Twin Knights by Osamu Tezuka
Velveteen & Mandala by Jiro Matsumoto
Wolfsmund, Volume 1 by Mitsuhisa Kuji

Manhwa!
Aron’s Absurd Armada, Omnibus 2 by MiSun Kim

Comics!
Demeter by Becky Cloonan
Every/Body: An Open Discussion of Gender and Body by Various
Meat Cake by Dame Darcey
NNN by Dan Kim
Samurai: A Digital Tribute to Men by Various

Light Novels!
Orochi no Kishi written by Itoshi, illustrated by Lehanan Aida

Novels!
The Crimson Labyrinth by Yusuke Kishi
The Goddess Chronicle by Natsuo Kirino
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Anthologies!
The Edogawa Rampo Reader by Edogawa Rampo
Japanese Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edogawa Rampo

Anime!
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood directed by Yasuhiro Irie
The Garden of Words directed by Makoto Shinkai
X: The Movie directed by Rintaro

Music!
Kodo vs. Yosuke Yamashita in Live

Manga the Week of 8/7

August 1, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Anna N and MJ 9 Comments

SEAN: Can’t talk, too much manga.

Dark Horse has the 2nd Lone Wolf and Cub omnibus. I enjoyed the first one more than I thought, and will hope that the 2nd gives us just as much assassination intrigue and adorable toddlers with killer eyes.

MICHELLE: I also liked it more than I expected.

ANNA: I read the first five or so volumes of this back in the day, and am glad it is getting reissued.

MJ: I’m surprised to find myself really looking forward to this second omnibus!

SEAN: Drawn and Quarterly finally, after a long gestation period, has the first in what I hope becomes a series of books based on Shigeru Mizuki’s 60s yokai classic, Gegege no Kitaro. Retitled Kitaro for North America (Gegege is sort of an untranslatable sound of fear), it’s over 400 pages of 60s shonen goodness. For those who love all the yokai manga coming out these days, here’s the King.

ANNA: I am intrigued by this!

MJ: Same here!

SEAN: I know only I care, but I still do care: Kodansha Comics has Vol. 31 of The Wallflower. 31 volumes! That’s more than Kenshin! Lots more than Fruits Basket! It’s 30 volumes more than Gaba Kawa! It’s a long series that rewards me with comedy, not romance.

MICHELLE: Back in the day, I bought the first six or seven volumes of this. But then I learned about its length and its episodic nature and I just went “Ugh.”

ANNA: I had a very similar reaction to Michelle’s. I found the first few volumes amusing but wasn’t willing to sign up for a neverending series.

SEAN: Seven Seas has a significant presence this week. There’s another Alice spinoff, The Clockmaker’s Story. The spinoffs are starting to glut the market, but I really enjoy Julius and his grumpypantsness. He reminds me of Austria from Hetalia. So I have hopes for this.

MICHELLE: I kinda like Julius, too, but I have really lost count of these spinoffs.

ANNA: I am pro-Julius!

SEAN: Hooray, a new volume of A Certain Scientific Railgun, the manga that reminds you once again that spinoffs can not only do better than the original, but inspire flamewars about the original! The athletics festival continues here, and we find out what Misaka does when her support team of good friends is taken from her.

Dance in the Vampire Bund continues to omnibus itself with Vols. 7-9. I understand it has vampires.

Kanokon also gives us an omnibus, featuring Vols. 3 and 4. I think I’ve already said what I need to about this series.

MICHELLE: I don’t even know what Kanokon is. Should I be glad?

SEAN: The Sacred Blacksmith has a second volume, for fantasy swordplay fans. I seem to recall I liked this slightly better.

And World War Blue, Seven Seas’ attempt to license a Fairy Tail that’s all their own, has its own Volume 2, just a month after Vol. 1.

It’s rare I discuss artbooks, but I’m also a giant Haruhi Suzumiya fanboy, so this dovetails nicely. Udon is putting out the first of a series of Haruhi artbooks, this called Haruhi-Ism: Noizi Ito Artworks. I suspect, as opposed to Udon’s amazing Read or Die artbook, we’ll see more art and less infotext here. But hey, getting it anyway.

MJ: I’m actually kind of interested in this, too.

SEAN: Vertical gives us the 4th volume of Knights of Sidonia. What’s the chance they go back to the wacky harem comedy this time around? I’m guessing it’s more likely there will be body horror and space battles instead. But it’s good. I’m just being churlish.

MICHELLE: But it’s creepy body horror of the best kind! I love Sidonia a lot.

ANNA: I guess I am now two volumes behind on this series, but I look forward to getting caught up. I’m happy that Vertical is bringing over mecha manga like this and Gundam: The Origin.

MJ: I *heart* Knights of Sidonia very much.

SEAN: And Viz. Bakuman comes to an end with its 20th volume, and has proven to at least be a slightly happier ride than Death Note. Certainly more people know about the workings of Jump now…

MICHELLE: Stay tuned for a special Off the Shelf devoted to Bakuman., coming next month!

MJ: I’m really looking forward to the discussion with Michelle. This series surprised me at intervals, throughout, and I was especially surprised to find myself actually caring about the romance during the last volume. Can’t wait to see how it plays out!

SEAN: A Devil And Her Love Song hits double digits with Vol. 10. Given where last volume left off, it’s expecting this one will be a big ol’ angstfest, but you never know.

MICHELLE: I think angstfest is a good bet.

ANNA: I have read this and haven’t been able to write my review yet, but I would say that it goes beyond angsfest and heads strongly into severe emotional traumaland.

MJ: Oh, my.

SEAN: Happy Marriage?! is the new josei title from Shojo Beat, being another foray into the magazine that gave us Butterflies, Flowers. I must admit, I’m a bit wary – Butterflies, Flowers succeeded for me because of its ridiculousness – this may not have as much of that. But hey, any Petit Comic over here is good.

MICHELLE: I’m wary, too, but I’ll give it a shot.

ANNA: I liked it just fine! It is a lightweight, fun to read josei title. Not as goofy as Butterflies, Flowers, but still enjoyable.

MJ: I’m interested, for sure. Wary, but interested.

SEAN: Kamisama Kiss has caught up with Japan, at least as much as Viz allows itself to do, so it’s been a while since we’ve seen it. Lucky Number 13 should give us yokai manga of the week #2.

MICHELLE: I’m going to try to get caught up on this soon.

SEAN: Kaze Hikaru 21! Squee! OK, I admit, I’m still 20 volumes behind on this series. But hey, any series that comes out yearly is always in my wheelhouse, given Excel Saga was there for a while as well. Highly underrated shoujo, from what my friends tell me.

MICHELLE: I love Kaze Hikaru very much. Everyone should read it! But especially MJ.

ANNA: I adore this series and I always feel a bit giddy when a new volume comes out.

MJ: *hangs head in shame*

SEAN: Kimi ni Todoke 17. I have little to say about this series, even though I love it to bits. Just expect everyone to be even more sweet and adorable, OK?

MICHELLE: Works for me!

ANNA: Works for me too!

MJ: Count me in!

SEAN: Another series hits double digits as Library Wars: Love & War gets to Vol. 10. I think this got delayed a month or so, so I hope it’s worth the wait.

MICHELLE: I’m kind of surprised how much I’ve been enjoying Library Wars lately.

ANNA: I was always going to be a fan because it is not that often that my profession gets featured in a manga, but I think that this series has gotten more enjoyable several volumes in.

SEAN: Naruto 62. That’s a whole lotta ninja.

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan wraps up Kyoto here at last, and moves on to a few side stories before the next big arc. It’s also yokai manga #3.

There’s always one Viz manga Diamond ships to my store late, and this month it’s Otomen 16. But the rest of you will get it. As always, I’m there for the Ryo.

Slam Dunk is in its closing volumes, but still not quite there yet. Here’s Vol. 29.

MICHELLE: It is taking a lot of willpower not to read the three unread volumes I have now collected, but this series is so good when read in chunks, so I’m tying to hold out ’til volume 31 gets here.

ANNA: I have less self control and generally read Slam Dunk as soon as it arrives because I can’t ration out my reading of this sports manga masterwork.

SEAN: Tegami Bachi is bachi-ing its tegami with Vol. 14. (Sorry, this has been a long post, I’m tired, and I don’t read the series.)

Lastly, Toriko 17 wraps everything up with some more tasty food fighting.

Assuming you didn’t move on halfway through this endless list, what are you getting this week?