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Manga Bookshelf Survey Results

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A number of readers have expressed interest in seeing the full results of our recent reader survey, so here we are! We’ll talk a bit about what it all means in a moment, but first, the results:

mb-survey-results

Enough with the graphics! What does it all mean?

A general overview of the survey paints the following picture of the average Manga Bookshelf reader:

You’re most likely to be an adult woman: 90% of our readership is adults over the age of 22 (past college undergraduate age), and 48% are over 30. 65% are women and girls—that’s nearly twice the amount of our male readership.

You buy a lot of manga: Over 75% of our readers report buying between 1-20 volumes of manga a month, with 16% buying more, and just a few reporting that they don’t buy any at all in a typical month. Some readers reported that they borrow most of their manga from the library, or that they tend to buy sporadically, in binges, or mainly at conventions. One reader admitted to reading scanlations because manga isn’t available to buy in her home country (Pakistan).

You’re not yet sold on digital: Digital manga is a sadder tale, with over 60% reporting that none of their purchases is likely to be digital, though the number of digital buyers is still at 35%. Some “other” responses included readers who mainly buy their manga in print but go digital for other comics, and some who said that they don’t buy any now, but had JManga accounts before the site closed. Some are waiting for their favorite out of print manga to turn up digitally.

You’re probably not buying Naruto: In terms of manga demographic categories, shoujo and seinen are readers’ top choices, both beating out shounen manga, which tends to include the mainstream powerhouses (Naruto, Bleach), while categories like josei, boys’ love, and yuri all make strong showings as well. “Other” responses included classic manga, gekiga, “fifth column” and manhwa.

You probably are buying from Vertical: Publisher preferences skew pretty closely to the number of releases, with prolific companies like Viz Media and Yen Press coming out on top. Though it’s notable that Vertical, a relatively small publisher, is heavily patronized by our readership (and actually ranked above Kodansha Comics for quite a while over the course of the poll). One major omission on our part was Drawn & Quarterly, which received a number of “other” mentions, along with a few mentions of companies like PictureBox and Udon, some defunct North American publishers, European publishers like Carlsen and Tokyopop Deutschland, and imports straight from Japan.

It’s probably not surprising that our readership differs significantly from that seen in the recent poll at Comics Should Be Good, at least in terms of gender demographics, given our manga-specific focus and our female-heavy roster of contributors. It perhaps naturally follows that our readers are less hooked on the most mainstream manga series (shounen) than CBR/CSBG’s readers are on the closest western comics equivalent (superheroes), though clearly we’re all slow to take to digital distribution.

Did you miss out on participating in our reader survey? Do you have thoughts about the results? Leave your comments below!

The case of the vanishing scanlations

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Lissa Pattillo looks at this week’s new releases in her On the Shelf column at Kuriousity.

Laura posts the Monday and Tuesday roundup of posts for the Skip Beat Manga Moveable Feast at Heart of Manga.

Erica Friedman takes a look at the josei magazine Flowers, home of Moto Hagio’s latest series, and she also posts the latest edition of Yuri Network News at Okazu.

Lori Henderson rounds up the latest manga news and checks out a couple of new releases in this week’s Manga Dome podcast at Manga Xanadu.

Chinese fans are not happy that scanlations of Shueisha properties such as Naruto and Gin Tama are disappearing from the web, after internet giant Tencent signed a licensing deal with Shueisha earlier this year.

News from Japan: Hayate x Blade has ended in the most recent issue of Ultra Jump.

Reviews: Carlo Santos deconstructs the latest releases in his Right Turn Only!! column at ANN.

Kate O’Neil on vol. 5 of Attack on Titan (The Fandom Post)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 5 of Children of the Sea (The Fandom Post)
Kristin on vol. 8 of Cross Game (Comic Attack)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 10 of Dawn of the Arcana (The Comic Book Bin)
Matthew Warner on vol. 5 of Flowers of Evil (The Fandom Post)
Melissa M. on Kisses, Sighs, and Cherry Blossom Pink (Okazu)
Matthew Alexander on vol. 37 of Negima (The Fandom Post)
Matthew Warner on vol. 38 of Negima (The Fandom Post)
Erica Friedman on Onna no Ko no Sekkeizu (Okazu)
Ken H on vol. 8 of Rurouni Kenshin (Comics Should Be Good)
Ken H on vol. 4 of Sailor Moon (Comics Should Be Good)
Bruce Pregger on YuriTetsu ~ Shiritsu Yurigasaki Joshikou Tetsudobu (Okazu)
Derek Bown on this week’s issue of Shonen Jump (Manga Bookshelf)
Anna N. on vol. 1 of Weekly Astro Boy Magazine (Manga Report)
Connie C on xxxHoLiC, Pet Shop of Horrors, and Nightmare Inspector (Comics Should Be Good)

Blood Lad, Vol. 3

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By Yuuki Kodama. Released in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten, serialization ongoing in the magazine Young Ace. Released in North America by Yen Press.

I’d mentioned in my previous review that Blood Lad had become a very solid shonen series (that runs in a seinen magazine, yes). I’ll go further with Vol. 3: this is really excellent. The previous volume showed us the main characters being quite clever, something which continues here. But this volume also shows us the writer being very clever. Kodama has crafted a plot that makes me want to dig deeper, with no elements so far dominating the others. The internal power struggle for the demon world, the Frankenstein monster corpse-robbing from last time, and Staz’s quest to restore Fuyumi to life all get about the right weight, with few pointless side journeys. Best of all, we have Fuyumi’s backstory, which I’ll delve into further.

bloodlad3

I knew coming in that Fuyumi’s family was going to somehow be connected to the demon world, given all the hints we’d had in the previous book. And indeed, that turns out to be exactly the case. But there’s no secret adultery or trips to the demon world here. Instead, there’s a very clever (and fairly creepy) use of doppelganger legends to show how Fuyumi is related to Bell and her brother while still remaining completely human. What’s more, it actually plays out what happens after with Bell and Fuyumi’s fathers, and shows us that the demon world is not the only one to have scary guys. This is easily my favorite part of the book.

Of course, Fuyumi’s reaction to this is pretty much the same as it’s been since the start of the series: dull surprise. This is actually lampshaded in the series, as she notes after discovering her mother’s real identity that she’s been too overwhelmed by events to process anything since she came into the demon world, and seems to have been fairly mellow even before her death. Still, it can be frustrating, especially given how often she’s meant to be fanservice for the reader, how passive she is. Her stepfather gives Staz two very important conditions to satisfy before he’ll let Fuyumi put herself in danger by journeying with him, and both of them amount to the same thing: give Fuyumi agency to decide things herself.

Which is good, because while Staz is not your typical shonen ‘rush into fights’ dolt, he has not really given much thought to what Fuyumi wants, something else pointed out to him. He has to stop treating Fuyumi like an object (and then, perhaps, the manga itself will stop doing the same thing). Staz is already suffering from the fact that, as a vampire, he’s almost trained since birth to see himself as an evil person. So his desperate attempts to restore Fuyumi, without asking her what she really wants to do, are indicative of this. He thinks that this is something that makes him evil, and that, by listening to Fuyumi and doing what she really wants, he can become a hero for her. (This also brings up the question of whether they love each other – everyone except the two of them seem to think this is the case.)

Staz is, of course, already a hero, and I hope that this change of lifestyle for him does not involve more charging ahead and less cunning in fights. (The fanservice this volume went to Bell, by the way, and the fight between her and Staz is a great example of how to combine Staz’s intelligence and cunning and his complete lack of awareness when it comes to women’s feelings.) How all this plays out, though, is something I really am desperate to find out. Though I may have to wait a while: we’re caught up with Japan, at least as caught up as Western publishers like to get. In the meantime, read this series.

Weekly Astro Boy Magazine Vol. 1

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Weekly Astro Boy Magazine Vol. 1

I was intrigued when Emanga.com announced that they would be releasing an Astro Boy magazine. I’m feeling a bit nostalgic for manga magazines at this point, with the demise of print anthologies. I’ve read some Tezuka, but I’m definitely not familiar with all of his works. The magazine format for Tezuka works very well, because his art and storytelling style varies so much with the titles presented in the magazine, it is interesting to compare and contrast the differences between his different titles in this format.

I haven’t read much Astro Boy before, but the storyline for inclusion in the first issue of this manga magazine is a strong one, as it is “The Greatest Robot on Earth,” where the robot Pluto created to battle all the other great robots that exist, until he is hailed as the supreme robot. This storyline is what Naoki Urasawa used for his manga series Pluto. Astro Boy tangles with Pluto for a little bit, but his creator calls him off. Astro Boy responds to the existence of the new robot by requesting an upgrade of his own power. Astro Boy really displays the virtue of simplicity. The robot designs are so distinct, and the action in Astro Boy is so clear and easy to follow, it makes me think that some of the detail and opaque action in modern manga has really missed the mark.

Phoenix is the next title featured in this magazine, and this is a real treat because I believe some of the print volumes released by Viz are now out of print. The story comes from the fourth volume of Phoenix, called Karma. It is easy to see why Phoenix is often called Tezuka’s masterwork. This chapter featured the story of a boy who was injured just after being born, becoming a monster due to the harsh treatment from his fellow villagers. He encounters a sculptor in the woods and damages one of his arms. The sculptor finds refuge in a temple and begins to reach a different stage of consciousness as he attempts to take up art again. Reading Phoenix itself is a bit of a philosophical experience, as the characters encounter each other in this fable-like story, with stylized depictions of nature inter cut with both action and personal reflection.

The rest of the book is rounded out by shorter chapters for Dororo and Black Jack. It was a bit difficult for me to get a handle on Dororo just due to the small page count. Black Jack, I automatically read with feelings of affection, because the two-fisted surgeon is one of my favorite Tezuka characters. Overall, I really enjoyed the opportunity to read different Tezuka works back to back. It is a bit different than diving into a full volume of manga, but it really gives the reader an appreciation for the variations in art and theme that is expressed in Tezuka’s manga. This is definitely worth checking out if you don’t have an extensive Astro Boy collection and especially if you want an accessible way of reading Phoenix.

Electronic access provided by the publisher

Weekly Shonen Jump Recap: June 3-17, 2013

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June 17 CoverBig news this week, Nisekoi will be getting an anime. Perhaps a bit early, but I think we’ve got enough stories to cover several episodes, and at the very least this means Nisekoi isn’t going anywhere. It’s a big milestone for the series, considering how many new manga can’t last in Weekly Shonen Jump. Fingers crossed that the anime is well made and Nisekoi keeps going strong for however long Komi Naoshi wants.

Because of schedule conflicts the past two weeks I wasn’t able to get around to reviewing the latest manga chapters. Rather than have three reviews go up in close proximity to each other I decided it might be better to go ahead and combine them into one. To keep things simple I’ll be writing about the last three weeks’ together.

Nisekoi Ch. 076–078
Taking three weeks before commenting on any of the most recent chapters has actually worked to my advantage as far as Nisekoi is concerned. When Haru, Onodera’s younger sister, was first introduced I thought that she was the kind of character who was typically annoying but in this case was handled well enough in order to not be annoying. Three chapters later, I found that she was fine for two chapters, but in the third chapter she became quite infuriating. I blame most of this on the fact that she’s been the sole focus of this series for three chapters in a row, and I have not been able to read much of anything about any of the characters I’ve grown attached to.

Nisekoi

Chapter 78 was particularly egregious in this regard because none of the other characters besides Raku makes anything but a token appearance. Granted, it was interesting to see the situation from the point of view of an outsider, but three chapters focusing on one character alone is a bit much—especially when that character is brand new to the series. Ultimately I think the biggest problem is that Haru has been around for most of a month and we haven’t seen any change in her. She’s just as frustrating as she was in the beginning. She has a few small moments, but after three weeks of putting up with her it’s not nearly enough. And of course, character development takes time, but I would prefer to have that time be split between chapters featuring the characters I already like.

Bleach Ch. 539-541
Bleach is an interesting example of a retcon that in a strange way is actually working. I had a lot of questions about the retcon in chapter 541, but ultimately I found those questions answered by the chapter itself. And granted, I don’t buy for a second that Kubo planned the reveal regarding Zangetsu any earlier than maybe a year or two ago. But he is able to manipulate his story well enough that the new elements slide into place where we didn’t even realize a piece was missing. Could the story have worked without that missing piece? Absolutely. But what we’ve learned the past three chapters fits well enough that it doesn’t disturb the overall story too much. And considering how low Bleach has dropped at times, even mediocre heights achieved later on seem better by comparison.

Bleach

Ultimately, Bleach hasn’t been amazing or even great by any stretch of the imagination these past few weeks. But it’s been a lot better than it was during the climactic battle against Aizen, or even the Fullbringer arc, and sometimes when you’ve been hurt enough even the absence of more pain feels like kindness.

What I’m trying to say is that I think Bleach gave me Stockholm Syndrome. And speaking of Stockholm Syndrome…

Naruto Ch. 632-634
I think the biggest problem with the last three weeks is how it feels like we’ve gotten payoff we never deserved. Or the story is trying to elicit a response it hasn’t done the groundwork for. I admit that I enjoyed the combination attack in this week’s chapter. But I can’t help but imagine how much better this would be if more time had been spent actually redeeming Sasuke, rather than making him worse and worse before finally having him flip flop back to the side of good.

That continues to be the biggest problem I have with Naruto. Sasuke’s turn feels more forced than ever. This should have been a good moment because it’s been a long time coming. But rather I feel that, like his powers, Sasuke has once again been given something he did not work for. His eyes give him all his power, his natural aptitude gives him his fighting prowess. And the author just hands him his redemption without making Sasuke suffer for it. If someone turns bad, really bad, to the point where they’ve not only attempted murder, but actually succeeded on more than one occasion, then they need to work in order to redeem themselves in the eyes of the other characters. But when such a character has spent an inordinate amount of time making sure the readers were well and pissed at him, then he needs to work doubly hard to make any kind of redemption actually be satisfying. I for one continue to be of the opinion that Sasuke is an awful character who is made worse by the fact that he hasn’t had to work for any of the good that’s happened to him, and he’s as bland as bland can be.

Sai’s reappearance reminded me how much better a character he was. I just wish Kishimoto could actually see when he makes good characters and when he doesn’t. Ultimately, though, most of these chapters are about action and the action is a lot of fun. Even Sakura gets to do something. Which hardly seems like a fair trade. I’d rather she have been doing things the entire series. But even then she reverts back to her pre-time skip personality the moment she starts ignoring Naruto in favor of Sasuke. It’s a real shame to see a character that had grown so much in the early chapters after the time skip revert back to the infuriating character she was before.

But, as I said, Stockholm Syndrome, these chapters weren’t the worst this series has thrown at me. And some of the action really was awesome.

Naruto

One-Punch Man Ch. 018-020
These three chapters emphasize that One-Punch Man isn’t just about comedy. It’s about great comedy and a world that is actually really interesting. The latest chapter especially emphasizes that the people in this series act like real people. Monsters constantly attacking? Time to move away. It stands out as a subtle bit of satire of the superhero genre while posing as world building. Even just the simple act of turning what should be an exciting adventure into the equivalent of a day job is hilarious in its own way. Not the funniest chapters of One-Punch Man, but still worth a read.

World Trigger Ch. 016-018
World Trigger manages to introduce some interesting elements, but ultimately it fails to engage. Those interesting elements should have been introduced more than a dozen chapters ago, at this point I can’t see the series surviving much longer. Characters are confusing, motivations are confusing, the whole conflict is confusing, and ultimately Jin is the most interesting character but with this cast that’s not hard.

Toriko Ch. 235-237
The amusing thing about these past three chapters of Toriko is that while a good chunk of it was action as normal, the other chunk made me really think about gender roles in manga. Were Komatsu a woman, there would be an outcry over the way he is treated in the story. He’s there to be saved by Toriko, there to give him strength. Since he’s a guy that’s an odd, yet new and interesting approach. If he were a woman it would be the same tired old trope. And while I’m amazed at how obvious the “Not Gay”s are in this series, I get a chuckle at the homoerotic subtext that refuses to be the sub in this relationship.

The fighting is pretty standard, but I was amazed how an entire chapter was dedicated to a new fighting technique for Toriko. That concept did not need that much space. Ultimately I feel that the fight is par for the course, and might be buying for time in a few places. But, events unfold that promise some much better chapters later on.

Toriko

Cross Manage Ch. 035-037
If anyone doesn’t think this series is amazing then I’m afraid we might have to take a look at your “Can Recognize Amazing Entertainment” gland——don’t wiki this, just trust me, it’s a real gland. Not only are we left in the dark as to the outcome of this match, but in the latest chapter we get what is possibly one of the best scenes in any manga I’ve read in months. At first it may be confusing, but once you read over it you slowly start to get it. The confusion you felt at the awkward transition mirrored the confusion the characters felt as they noticed more and more people were looking away from where the ball was in play. Then the moment of horrified realization, emphasized by the perfect rendering of the expressions on the characters’ faces. It’s been a long time since anything in a manga sparked such an emotional reaction from me.

Cross Manage

And then, once you’ve had a moment to sit back and take in what happened, an event that came out of nowhere, you realize that since chapter one this eventuality has been foreshadowed.

Though it does feel a bit like a desperate gambit to get people interested in the series. Because after what happened this chapter, there is no way the series could end within the next few weeks and actually be satisfactory. Before now a win or a lose could have led to a satisfying early conclusion. Kato could have played it safe, written in a way to end the series safely. Instead he decided to go for broke, give us an event that needs far more than just a few chapters to be concluded satisfactorily. I pray that the risk he took resonates with readers and we are able to see this series go on for many more chapters.

Dragon Ball Z Ch. 017-019
With these chapters the long training arc came and went. Ultimately I feel I can’t comment on them that well because they’ve been in my brain for so long I can’t really muster up any kind of initial reaction. Ultimately I’d have to say that these chapters are good, but not amazing. There’s a definite sense that were Dragon Ball Z being published today it probably wouldn’t last for very long. But, one can’t analyze it like that since this series has been around for so long that it’s unfair to comment on it as if it were a contemporary of current series. This was one of the series that a lot of shonen manga owes many elements to. And in a lot of cases they improve on those elements. But, in the end, I’m glad we finally get to the actual fight against the Saiyans—s lot faster than we would have gotten to it in the anime too.

Dragon Ball Z

One Piece Ch. 710-711
Chapter 710 of One Piece was okay. It wasn’t amazing, but it was at standard One Piece quality. After such a long break it was wonderful to finally get a new chapter. Chapter 711 (heh) on the other hand was a lot more fun. From the twist at the very end, to the scene with Zoro and the hint that maybe these toys aren’t quite what they seem. Or, Rebecca has a bit of an interesting kink. Either is possible really.

But the standout of this chapter was how little time it took for me to make a boob joke to myself after discovering that the name of the little people was “Tontattas”. Yes, I’m a terrible person, but I would like to point out that Oda decided to name them this after he had them climbing all over Robin, who I might add has been pinned to the ground with her…tontattas (sorry)…prominently displayed. I know there was no way for him to realize that both “ton” and “tattas” were a proper word and slang respectively, so let’s just call it an act of providence that provided us with the best unintentional pun in all of One Piece.

Also, is it just me, or does anyone else think that Oda might have macrophilia? First we have Aphelandra the amazon using her bossoms to block Luffy’s escape, then we have Luffy using Shirahoshi’s…great reefs…as a trampoline, and now we have Robin sewn to the ground in a scene reminiscent of a much sexier Gulliver’s Travels, while the Tontattas climb all around the inside of her dress. And that’s not even getting into all the other woman of larger size than normal. Or the fact that “normal size” is incredibly subjective in One Piece. Think I’m wrong? Discuss in the comments section. Let’s start the weirdest discussion this website has ever seen.

One Piece

Rurouni Kenshin Final Chapter
What can I say? This project felt unnecessary, it messed with established material that was already good on its own. But in the end the worst crime is that apparently even a teenage girl can survive a sword through her chest as long as it misses her heart. Never mind the fact that she’d have bled to death by that point. AND she only managed to survive because the way her would-be assassin held his swords was stupid. I’m not sure if it’s some weirdly meta commentary about style over substance and practicality in manga, but Watsuki pointed out why his idea was stupid all on his own. At least this manga did one thing right, it made me realize that maybe I don’t want a sequel to Rurouni Kenshin like I thought I did. I dread how much more ridiculous an actual in canon sequel would get. Once you have a skinny business man lifting and firing a gattling gun you’ve got nowhere else to go but down.

I’d really only intended to put this off for two weeks, but it ended up being three. My schedule is a lot more hectic that I realized. I’ll be sure to keep these posts up to date, and hope that this momentary lapse in publication remains isolated to these past three weeks.

If you want to hear more, check out the Manga^3 Podcast Archives. Or go directly to the last three episodes, Episode 049 – May 27, 2013 – Why Hiramaru and Aoki’s Relationship Sucked | Toriko Vol. 5, Episode 050 – June 3, 2013 – When the Main Characters Sucks! | Toriko Vol. 6, and Episode 051 – June 10, 2013 – Why Doesn’t Oda Kill Characters? | Bakuman Vol. 1.

A Bouquet of Manga, Flowers Magazine

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61v9hCWPLDL._SL500_AA300_Flowers,  a Josei manga magazine from Shogakukan, is a veritable showcase of talent. Regardless of which series are running in the magazine at any given time, the list of authors is practically a checklist of manga history. Names that were publishing top-notch manga in the pages of Flowers magazine more than a decade ago are still publishing top-notch manga in the same magazine now.

In the current volume of Flowers, the award-winning, essential manga Heart of Thomas creator, Moto Hagio, contributes a brand new Sci-fi series Away. Saito Chiho, best known here for the manga version of Revolutionary Girl Utena, is working on a manga retelling of the classic Japanese tale of gender-switching, Torikaebaya. Tamura Yumi’s 7 Seeds was begun on the pages of Betsucomi in 2001, but continues in the pages of Flowers, since 2002. Also notable for western fans, Higa Aloha’s Shirokuma Cafe, which was given an anime adaption and streamed as Polar Bear Cafe, runs in this magazine.

Ancient Japan, the modern world and futurescapes live side by side in Flowers. Stories of alternate histories, such as Akaishi Michiyo’s Amakusa 1637 – which completely rewrote Japanese history – and Moto Hagio’s science fiction Barbara Ikai, will sit comfortably next to Yuu Watase’s  Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden. Japan’s past, present  and future, talking animals, alternate states of being…this Josei magazine, while showcasing grace and beauty, is not at all afraid to ask, “What if it all goes wrong?” The predominant art style is one I’d like to call “Timeless” without irony. These artists have been working for decades and, in some cases, have been genre-defining. One can see the influences of decades of manga and centuries of visual references from Fine Art in the pages of Flowers.

Flowers magazine comes in at just over 500 pages for 570 yen ($6.04 at time of writing). The magazine has a website,  which contains interviews with, messages from and profiles of the creators, chapters of new stories for preview, and publishing schedules. (If you want to be sobered by the sheer mass of work by some of the women who publish in Flowers, click on a few bios and looks at the lists of books in print. Akaishi-sensei has something like 50+ books *in print* right now.) Flowers has a 2011 – 2012 monthly circulation of 33,000.

Looking at the cover above, it would be easy to dismiss Flowers as a repository of girlish fantasy but, if one did so, one would miss the crucible of talent that makes the Flowers stable some of the longest-running, most-popular and most-talented group of creators in manga today.

Flowers Monthly Magazine, from Shogakukan: http://flowers.shogakukan.co.jp/

New releases, MMF call for entries

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Here’s my look at the latest manga releases at MTV Geek, and Lissa Pattillo’s take in her last-ever On the Shelf column at Otaku USA. The Manga Bookshelf team takes a look at the new manga due out this week, and discusses their Pick of the Week.

MJ and Michelle Smith discuss some new releases from SuBLime and Digital in the latest installment of BL Bookrack.

Skip Beat will be the main dish at this month’s Manga Moveable Feast, and Laura puts out the call for entries at Heart of Manga.

Reviews: Ash Brown looks at a week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga. The Manga Bookshelf team post their latest Bookshelf Briefs.

Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 14 of Arata: The Legend (The Comic Book Bin)
Adam Stephanides on vols. 1-11 of Billy Bat (Completely Futile)
Ash Brown on vol. 22 of Blade of the Immortal (Experiments in Manga)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 11 of Dengeki Daisy (ANN)
Helen on Full House (Narrative Investigations)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 2 of Girl Friends (ANN)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 4 of His Favorite (I Reads You)
Carlo Santos on vol. 11 of Jormungand (ANN)
Sean Gaffney on Kisses, Sighs, and Cherry Blossom Pink (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Anna N. on vol. 2 of Knights of Sidonia (Manga Report)
Carlo Santos on vol. 4 of Limit (ANN)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 11 of Loveless (The Comic Book Bin)
Lissa Pattillo on The Misfortune of Kyon and Kazumi (Kuriousity)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 2 of Missions of Love (ANN)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 15 of Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan (The Comic Book Bin)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 67 of One Piece (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Lissa Pattillo on vol. 1 of Puella Magi Kazuma Magica: The Innocent Malice (Kuriousity)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 10 of Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura (The Comic Book Bin)
Rebecca Silverman on vols. 2 and 3 of Strobe Edge (ANN)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Sunny (ANN)
Chris Kirby on vol. 15 of Toriko (The Fandom Post)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 16 of Toriko (The Comic Book Bin)
Matthew Warner on vol. 4 of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s (The Fandom Post)

Kisses, Sighs, and Cherry Blossom Pink

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By Milk Morinaga. Released in Japan by Futabasha, serialized in the magazine Comic High! (earlier stories serialized by Ichijinsha in the magazine Comic Yuri Hine). Released in North America by Seven Seas.

When I was growing up, the generally accepted “yes, you can now be nostalgic about this” period was about 20 years. Happy Days being the primary example, but the same thing applied as the 1980s wore on. Then, sometime around the early 90s, nostalgia started to speed up. Suddenly we can’t get enough of revisiting things that only happened 5-10 years ago. And this makes sense, given how fast culture has been moving lately thanks to the Information Superhighway and such. (See what I told you about nostalgia?) What this means in practice is that we can be startled that things we read only a few years back suddenly seem like products of a bygone age, and Kisses, Sighs and Cherry Blossom Pink is an excellent example.

kissessighs_vol1_full

When these stories first came out in 2003 or so, it was fantastic. They were in a magazine devoted exclusively to ‘yuri’ stories, and many of them sailed along based solely on that premise. Girls! In love with other girls! And even kissing and stuff! This particular story was actually a group of one-shots that ended up centering around the same school, which is attended by Nana and her friends (Hitomi’s school gets far less attention, possibly as it seems to be far less yuri-friendly). It’s not just Nana – there’s ghosts in love, and unrequited love, and a Takarazuka ‘prince’ who’s actually a bit of a weirdo. It’s a whole yuri subculture. And, in 2003, this was fantastic.

Why does it seem to old and cliched now? It’s partly because Morinaga Milk essentially rewrote and improved Nana and Hitomi’s story in Girl Friends a few years later for Futabasha (after first wrapping it up, as we see in the second volume of this collection.) But it seems to me to be primarily that this sort of story is now old hat. There’s so much more yuri out there, and not all of it has to be “Girl meets girl, girl likes girl, they like each other, the end.” Actually, at the time this collection went FURTHER than a lot of the stories in Yuri Hime. Nana and Hitomi are sexually active, and we see that – again, something that was a real wow in 2003.

But nostalgic doesn’t necessarily mean bad, it simply means “wow, I can’t believe this is only 10 years old”. These stories are cute and sweet, and even the story that doesn’t end with two girls getting together still manages to be adorable. There’s not a lot of “couples buying refrigerators” here – indeed, the manga ends literally right before Nana and Hitomi will have to do that – because in 2003, this was enough. Girls being gay and in love (well, as gay as they’re allowed to be – the word ‘lesbian’ isn’t used much here) at their local schools, and some of them even (gasp!) staying together after they leave school.

I really enjoyed this series, as it brought back a lot of happy memories, and the stories set up a lot of other series that I’ve also enjoyed that followed its example. Nana and Hitomi are sweet, everyone is happy (though the final Nanan and Hitomi story does have a deus ex machina so blatant you could drive a moving truck through it), and the series is quaint. Quaint and twee, you’re in 2003. Nostalgia is the new nostalgia. Recommended.

Pick of the Week: Subverting Expectations

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potw-6-17-13MJ: My obvious pick this week would be volume 16 of Pandora Hearts, and I am sure that’s what everyone expects (you can read about how much I love this volume in today’s Bookshelf Briefs). But sometimes it’s the unknown that has the greatest allure, and I’ll admit that I’m most anxious to get a look at Asumiko Nakamura’s Utsubora: the Story of a Novelist, out this week from Vertical. I’ve had a shaky relationship with Vertical’s titles from Manga Erotics F—the magazine this title comes from—but Vertical’s track record with me overall is pretty stunning (and the magazine has housed some of my favorites as well), so I’m more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Familiar favorites are a wonderful thing, but nothing beats the mystery of the unknown. I can’t wait to see what this manga has in store!

MICHELLE: I was so sure that you were going to pick Pandora Hearts that I was all set to pick Utsubora myself. I’m definitely looking forward to checking it out, but I’ll go ahead and give Pandora Hearts my official love, as I’m really looking forward to getting caught up with that one.

SEAN: I’m deciding to go with the manga that’s down to a yearly release rather than the quarterly one, so despite my Higurashi obsession, my pick of the week is for GA Art Design Class. There’s an awful lot of 4-koma series about girls in high school out there, and this is one of the ones that makes me smile the most. The cast is amusing in just the right amount, it’s filled with cute, funny and heartwarming moments, and it’s taught me a hell of a lot about art. It’s likely not for you unless you enjoy moe 4-koma manga, but if you do it’s one of the best.

ANNA: I’m also going to have to throw in my vote for Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist simply because it is the only manga this week that I felt compelled to pre-order! The premise about an upcoming novelist who is suddenly found dead also sounds very intriguing. I think a bit of mystery will balance my usual shoujo and sci-fi manga reading habits.

What looks good to you this week?

Bookshelf Briefs 6/17/13

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This week, Sean, MJ, and Anna look at recent releases from Viz Media, Yen Press, Kodansha Comics, and Vertical, Inc.

crossgame6Cross Game, Vol. 6 | By Mitsuru Adachi | Viz Media – I’m finally finishing out this series! Picking up the 6th volume after a gap in my Cross Game reading reminded me again what a master of manga Adachi is. For a series where on the surface not much happens other than a bunch of kids preparing to play baseball, there’s so much subtext and subtle psychological development being portrayed, that this manga is a delight to read. Ko continues to hone his skills, but the sudden appearance of Akane, a dead ringer for his childhood love Wakaba, causes a bit of consternation in the neighborhood. Romance is more of an undercurrent in this volume as Aoba slowly realizes that people may appreciate her for something other than her pitching skills. – Anna N.

devil9A Devil And Her Love Song, Vol. 9 | By Miyoshi Tomori | Viz Media – Well, that went south in a hurry, didn’t it? The first half of this volume is actually quite heartwarming, despite the opening. It gives the message “forcing yourself on others is wrong”, but also allows the others to forgive Shintaro and allow him back into their inner circle. Moreover, Maria is bonding even more with her friends, and Shin is getting over his own hangups regarding the piano. He decides to do a big, extravagant performance for Maria, at the end of which he will tell her his real feelings. AND THEN IT ALL GOES SO WRONG. Leaving aside horrible assault guy, who ensures she never gets to the performance, it’s more of a classic “misunderstanding comfort as a confession” that leads to the depressing cliffhanger we get here. I really cannot wait for Vol. 10. – Sean Gaffney

saika2Durarara!! Saika Arc, Vol. 2 | By Ryohgo Narita, Akiyo Satorigi, and Suzuhito Yasuda | Yen Press – We continue to have two different stories going on here, and they aren’t quite interweaving with each other until the very end… or so we think. First off, there’s the attempts by Celty to find out what’s going on with Saika, the demon blade that’s slashing people and has professed a deep, stalkerish love for Shizuo. Secondly, and probably more interesting to me, there’s Anri and her attempts to deal with her teacher’s sexual harassment. Anri’s natural emotionless facade doesn’t make the discomfort of this situation any less striking, and the occasional dream she’s having of a happy birthday with her parents turns into a nightmare rather rapidly. Plus, for all that the blade supposedly loves Shizuo, it does seem to be going after Anri an awful lot. A fun, complicated mess (yes, that’s a compliment). – Sean Gaffney

fairytail26Fairy Tail, Vol. 26 | By Hiro Mashima | Kodansha Comics – Well, the villains are posing on the cover of this volume, so it is not a particular surprise that they come in and completely kick our heroes’ asses, as shonen villains often do at first. Even worse is the identity of the old man who seems to be behind the group of villains… and Makarov’s betrayed reaction. There are one or two jokes here, mostly revolving around Elfman and Evergreen, the couple that isn’t. But for the most part, this is simply pure serious fighting, with lots of people getting knocked unconscious and/or near death. And hovering over all of this is Zeref, who just wants to be left alone – supposedly – but Ultear isn’t having any of that. It looks like we’ve got a long way to go before any of this is wrapped up, to be honest. Oh and hey, was that a Laxus cameo I just saw? Foreshadowing! – Sean Gaffney

knights3Knights of Sidonia, Vol. 3 | By Tsutomu Nihei | Vertical, Inc. – I’ll admit, this volume really surprised me. No, not the deaths of even more pilots. And no, not the flashback which showed us the origins of Tanikaze’s birth (at least once I figured out it was a flashback – come on, use black borders like other mangaka do!). No, what really startled me was the middle of this volume, where all of a sudden it became a wacky romantic comedy with a love triangle. It’s actually even more amusing given the artist’s usual unexpressive style. That said, that’s just a moment, and for the most part this volume is serious business, as we try to figure out why Tanizake is piloting every single goddamn mission, learn more about the placenta they captured, which is a little TOO good at mimicking humans, and depressing the hell out of Izana. Still riveting. – Sean Gaffney

pandorahearts16Pandora Hearts, Vol. 16 | By Jun Mochizuki | Yen Press – Recent volumes of Pandora Hearts have been so chock-full of twists and revelations, that every time I’ve thought that I discovered what was really going on, I’ve been proven wrong in the next volume. This continues with volume sixteen, and it is by no means a bad thing. Things start out lightly, as though to provide a healing balm for last volume’s tragedies. Yet, just when I thought I’d been shocked to the core, something much more shocking is revealed, and oh… GAH. I’m kind of dying at this point. It’s all extremely well-plotted (better than I thought Mochizuki had in her, to be frank) and cleverly painful. Meanwhile, Xerxes Break continues to be the most endearing character ever, and his relationship with Sharon is almost too charming to bear. Thanks, Pandora Hearts, you always come through. Increasingly recommended. – MJ