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Manga censorship fail, Heart of Thomas previewed

January 7, 2013 by Brigid Alverson

Jason Thompson looks at censorship of manga (usually done internally by the publisher) and the greatest censorship fails of all time in his latest House of 1000 Manga column at ANN.

The Manga Bookshelf bloggers look forward to next week’s new manga.

Moto Hagio’s Heart of Thomas is out, finally, and Comics Alliance has a preview.

Erica Friedman has a new installment of Yuri Network News for us.

Lissa Patillo looks back at the year 2012 and she looks over the past week’s new releases in her On the Shelf column at Otaku USA. Khursten Santos looks back at 2012 and picks 12 favorites at Otaku Champloo. Dave Ferraro names his top ten manga of 2012 at Comics-and-More.

At Organization ASG, Justin takes a look at the state of the manga world in 2012.

Matt Blind has the manga best-sellers for the past week.

Reviews:

Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 2 of 07-Ghost (The Comic Book Bin)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of 21st Century Boys (Comics Worth Reading)
Matthew Alexander on vol. 17 of Black God (The Fandom Post)
Connie on Blade of the Immortal, Bride of the Water God, and Oh My Goddess (Comics Should Be Good)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of Blood Lad (Comics Worth Reading)
Sweetpea on Cantarella and Brave Story (Organization ASG)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 3 of Chi’s Sweet Home (Blogcritics)
Matthew Alexander on vol. 21 of Claymore (The Fandom Post)
Justin on chapters 13 and 14 of Cross Manage (Organization ASG)
Kristin on vol. 1 of Demon Love Spell (Comic Attack)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 11 of Dengeki Daisy (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
John on issue 16 of GEN (Anime Nation News Blog)
Erica Friedman on Girls’ Ride (Okazu)
Ash Brown on Good-Bye Geist (Experiments in Manga)
John Rose on vol. 14 of GTO: The Early Years (The Fandom Post)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 29 of Hunter x Hunter (The Fandom Post)
Chris Beveridge on vol. 2 of The Limit (The Fandom Post)
Helen on vol. 1 of Lizzie Newton: Victorian Mysteries (Narrative Investigations)
Lori Henderson on vol. 1 of Message to Adolf (Manga Village)
Jocelyne Allen on Mushi to Uta (Brain Vs. Book)
Chris Beveridge on vol. 2 of Paradise Kiss (The Fandom Post)
Erica Friedman on R.O.D. Rehabilitation (Okazu)
Katherine Hanson on vol. 6 of Sailor Moon (Yuri no Boke)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 11 of Soul Eater (The Fandom Post)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 2 of Strobe Edge (I Reads You)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 10 of Tenjho Tenge (The Comic Book Bin)
Matthew Cycyk on vol. 1 of Thermae Romae (Matt Talks About Manga)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of W Juliet (Blogcritics)

Manga Bestsellers: 2013, Week Ending 6 January

January 6, 2013 by Matt Blind 1 Comment

Comparative Rankings Based on Consolidated Online Sales

last week’s charts
about the charts

Manga Bestsellers

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon 8 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [408.5] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Maximum Ride 6 – Yen Press, Sep 2012 [399.7] ::
3. ↑1 (4) : Naruto 59 – Viz Shonen Jump, Nov 2012 [367.6] ::
4. ↓-1 (3) : Sailor Moon vols 1-6 box set – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [355.0] ::
5. ↑1 (6) : Sailor Moon 9 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [354.1] ::
6. ↓-1 (5) : Death Note vols 1-13 box set – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Oct 2008 [352.2] ::
7. ↑1 (8) : Vampire Knight 15 – Viz Shojo Beat, Nov 2012 [329.7] ::
8. ↓-1 (7) : Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind two volume hardcover box set [complete] – Viz Ghibli Library, Nov 2012 [313.1] ::
9. ↔0 (9) : Sailor Moon 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [300.7] ::
10. ↔0 (10) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [285.4] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of volumes ranking in the Top 500:

Yen Press 100
Viz Shonen Jump 96
Viz Shojo Beat 56
Kodansha Comics 51
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 36
Seven Seas 27
Dark Horse 24
Viz 13
Tokyopop 11
Del Rey 9

[more]

Series/Property

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon – Kodansha Comics [1,039.0] ::
2. ↑1 (3) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [759.8] ::
3. ↓-1 (2) : Maximum Ride – Yen Press [755.7] ::
4. ↔0 (4) : Black Butler – Yen Press [634.9] ::
5. ↔0 (5) : Vampire Knight – Viz Shojo Beat [540.4] ::
6. ↔0 (6) : Death Note – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [500.3] ::
7. ↑1 (8) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [464.4] ::
8. ↓-1 (7) : Soul Eater – Yen Press [458.1] ::
9. ↔0 (9) : Alice in the Country of Clover – Seven Seas [377.0] ::
10. ↑11 (21) : Ouran High School Host Club – Viz Shojo Beat [370.4] ::

[more]

New Releases
(Titles releasing/released This Month & Last)

5. ↑1 (6) : Sailor Moon 9 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [354.1] ::
18. ↑2 (20) : Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal 2 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2012 [222.7] ::
21. ↓-4 (17) : Black Bird 15 – Viz Shojo Beat, Dec 2012 [216.3] ::
25. ↑196 (221) : Bleach 54 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jan 2013 [205.4] ::
26. ↑2 (28) : Puella Magi Madoka Magica 3 – Yen Press, Dec 2012 [203.2] ::
44. ↑42 (86) : A Certain Scientific Railgun 6 – Seven Seas, Dec 2012 [163.3] ::
45. ↓-15 (30) : D. Gray-Man 23 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Dec 2012 [163.3] ::
49. ↓-10 (39) : Pandora Hearts 13 – Yen Press, Dec 2012 [160.4] ::
69. ↓-36 (33) : Bleach 52 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2012 [134.2] ::
73. ↑99 (172) : Girl Friends: Complete Collection 2 – Seven Seas, Jan 2013 [130.1] ::

[more]

Preorders

30. ↑16 (46) : Sailor Moon 10 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2013 [197.8] ::
39. ↑40 (79) : Sailor Moon 12 – Kodansha Comics, Jul 2013 [166.2] ::
63. ↑40 (103) : Sailor Moon 11 – Kodansha Comics, May 2013 [143.3] ::
100. ↓-2 (98) : Alice in the Country of Joker Circus & Liar’s Game 1 – Seven Seas, Feb 2013 [103.4] ::
102. ↔0 (102) : Alice in the Country of Joker Circus & Liar’s Game 2 – Seven Seas, May 2013 [99.4] ::
108. ↓-2 (106) : Wallflower 30 – Kodansha Comics, Feb 2013 [94.6] ::
113. ↓-9 (104) : Battle Angel Alita Last Order 17 – Kodansha Comics, Feb 2013 [92.6] ::
116. ↓-2 (114) : Negima! 38 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2013 [91.4] ::
130. ↑23 (153) : Negima! Omnibus 6 – Kodansha Comics, Feb 2013 [83.7] ::
142. ↓-22 (120) : Bakuman 19 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2013 [76.8] ::

[more]

Manhwa

552. ↑8 (560) : March Story 4 – Viz Signature, Oct 2012 [16.0] ::
633. ↓-108 (525) : Chocolat 8 – Yen Press, Dec 2012 [12.0] ::
657. ↓-276 (381) : Jack Frost 1 – Yen Press, May 2009 [10.9] ::
660. ↑21 (681) : Bride of the Water God 12 – Dark Horse, Nov 2012 [10.9] ::
945. ↑ (last ranked 28 Oct 12) : Raiders 6 – Yen Press, May 2011 [4.7] ::
1139. ↓-297 (842) : Moon Boy 9 – Yen Press, Nov 2010 [2.6] ::
1295. ↓-714 (581) : Legend 6 – Yen Press, Oct 2009 [1.3] ::
1365. ↑ (last ranked 7 Oct 12) : Raiders 3 – Yen Press, Jul 2010 [0.9] ::
1412. ↑ (last ranked 2 Dec 12) : Jack Frost 2 – Yen Press, Nov 2009 [0.7] ::
1448. ↓-36 (1412) : Angel Diary 6 – Yen Press, Jul 2008 [0.5] ::

[more]

BL/Yaoi

133. ↓-14 (119) : Alice the 101st 3 – DMP DokiDoki, Jan 2013 [82.7] ::
135. ↑32 (167) : Ze 7 – 801 Media, Jan 2013 [79.4] ::
150. ↓-19 (131) : A Century of Temptation – DMP Juné, Apr 2013 [74.1] ::
154. ↑ (last ranked 9 Sep 12) : Ai no Kusabi (novel) 2 – DMP Juné, Mar 2008 [72.0] ::
191. ↑191 (382) : Loveless 10 – Viz, Jan 2013 [58.3] ::
198. ↑6 (204) : Otodama: Voice from the Dead 2 – DMP DokiDoki, Oct 2013 [57.0] ::
211. ↓-2 (209) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [55.1] ::
242. ↔0 (242) : Ninth Life Love – DMP Juné, Dec 2012 [48.6] ::
247. ↓-1 (246) : Honey*Smile – DMP Juné, Oct 2012 [47.7] ::
251. ↓-33 (218) : Loveless 9 – Viz, Sep 2012 [47.3] ::

[more]

Ebooks

10. ↔0 (10) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [285.4] ::
31. ↓-7 (24) : Maximum Ride 2 – Yen Press, Oct 2009 [192.0] ::
33. ↓-4 (29) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [181.9] ::
34. ↓-9 (25) : Maximum Ride 3 – Yen Press, Aug 2010 [180.8] ::
56. ↓-2 (54) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [156.0] ::
61. ↓-9 (52) : Maximum Ride 4 – Yen Press, Apr 2011 [150.6] ::
89. ↓-5 (84) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [111.1] ::
103. ↑7 (110) : Blue Exorcist 1 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Apr 2011 [99.3] ::
112. ↓-15 (97) : Naruto 1 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2003 [93.0] ::
126. ↓-3 (123) : Blue Exorcist 2 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jun 2011 [85.3] ::

[more]

Dengeki Daisy, Vol. 11

January 5, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By Kyousuke Motomi. Released in Japan by Shogakukan, serialization ongoing in the magazine Bessatsu Comic (“Betsucomi”). Released in North America by Viz.

I’m trying to think when Dengeki Daisy went from ‘shoujo series I quite like’ to ‘one of my top recommendations for shoujo period’. Probably around Vol. 8 or 9, when the thriller aspects of the title were at their height. Of course, this is not to take away from the comedy or the romance, but Daisy blends all three quite well. Judging from the cover, you might think that this was another melodrama like We Were There, and certainly there are a few dramatic angsty elements. But what’s most thrilling about this title is that it feels almost like a movie – action revelations, lots of running around, kidnappings and threats. A modernized Republic serial, without all the stupid bits.

This volume mostly deals with Teru’s friend Rena, who has come a long way from the ‘princess’-type we saw early in the series. She’s somewhat trapped in an arranged marriage due to her family’s business, and is not very fond of her fiancee. Nor should she be, as he is a jerk through and through, something that the author really doesn’t try to hide at all (she even apologizes to the reader for all the face time he’ll be getting). Amusingly, he’s also shown to be a second-tier bad guys, and the true villains such as Chiharu have little respect for him. But this doesn’t mean he’s not a danger to Rena herself, and the cliffhanger is set up beautifully. It also gives Teru a chance to experience what everyone else in her group goes through when she’s kidnapped or threatened… and I don’t think she likes it any more than they do.

Earlier in the volume, when everyone thinks that Kazuki is merely a jerk fiancee, they set about trying to support Rena and cheer her up – while at the same time allowing her to handle the situation, which she feels she needs to do. I love the way that this manga handles its romances. Both Kurosaki and Kiyoshi (who has a crush on Rena) want desperately to simply sweep in like a white knight and solve all their respective love’s problems, keeping them safe from all harm. But both know that that’s just selfishness, and try to keep a balance between protectiveness and simply being there when needed. (To be fair, this cast does get into danger constantly, so you can see why they’re edgy.) Honestly, few shoujo mangas out right now respect their female characters as much as Dengeki Daisy.

Other things to note: Rena’s trick to inform everyone of her true feelings was brilliant, and they’re right, I hadn’t even thought of that method since childhood. Also, when Kurosaki says “wholesome high school kids read Betsucomi”, all I could think was “And unwholesome kids read Sho-Comi!”. (Kyousuke Motomi, like Mitsuru Adachi and Rumiko Takahashi, likes to plug her own work and her bosses whenever she can.) And that final page simply looks fantastic. If you haven’t been reading this series, try to catch up. It’s a complete winner.

Manga the Week of 1/9

January 3, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: For once, all the manga that was supposed to arrive this week actually did, meaning that next week is quieter than usual, as I’m not shuffling titles that should have come out already around. Let’s hope this trend continues in 2013!

Dark Horse has Vol. 2 of OreImo. Of all the moe faux-incest manga that was published in 2012, it was among the best. Which is possibly the worst compliment ever, but there you go.

MICHELLE: I hate to start the year off with an “ugh,” but… ugh.

MJ: Ditto. Unfortunately.

SEAN: Viz takes up the remaining slots. 07-Ghost receives a new Vol. 2 (an older Vol. 2 came out years ago from publishers now defunct). It’s hard to make amusing comments about this title, so I hope that the series gets to Vol. 7 so that I can at least go with the numerology gag.

MICHELLE: Despite being confusing at times, I found the debut volume of 07-Ghost to be fairly intriguing, so I’m glad that VIZ opted to rescue this title. I’ll definitely be checking out volume two.

MJ: Yeah, I’m genuinely looking forward to this volume! I quite liked Volume One.

SEAN: Case Closed, meanwhile, has hit Volume 45. It has a few more volumes to go before it can pass Inu-Yasha as the longest running North American Shonen Sunday series. I hope that it makes it. (I also hope for an omnibus edition that restores the original names, but I suspect I can whistle for that.)

MICHELLE: I have generally benevolent feelings towards Case Closed, but they’re not sufficient to compel me to personally collect and house a series so notoriously long. I rely on my local library to do that instead. But it is a pretty fun series, if formulaic.

Tangent: I can’t whistle. I’m very bitter about that.

MJ: Awww!

SEAN: Lastly, how do you want your Loveless? There’s the 2nd omnibus, which will no doubt deepen all the mysteries and sexual tension. And there’s Vol. 10, where everything has already exploded messily and you get to see the pieces fly apart in amusing ways. What about it, readers? Slow or fast?

MICHELLE: I never did read Loveless the first time around, so while I’m happy to see those later volumes coming in, I’m still back in the 2-in-1 territory. I really enjoyed the first omnibus, and am looking forward to continuing.

MJ: I admit I’m pretty psyched about this release. I really enjoyed the first omnibus and I kinda can’t wait for more!

SEAN: Does anything catch your eye next week?

Bumper crop of good manga this week

January 3, 2013 by Brigid Alverson

Time to use your gift cards: This is a great week for new manga, with Heart of Thomas, the second volume of Message to Adolf, and a big stack of shoujo and shonen manga hitting the stores (vol. 3 of Jiu Jiu FTW!). Check out my picks at MTV Geek.

The Manga Bookshelf Team also looks at the new manga coming out this week week, both in stores and on JManga, and they discuss their Pick of the Week.

Writing for The Atlantic, Noah Berlatsky analyzes Moto Hagio’s Heart of Thomas and introduces Boys Love to mainstream readers.

ANN has a preview of the art from Yoshitaka Amano’s first novel, Deva Zan.

MJ makes her picks for the best manga of the year: Part 1, Part 2; she talks about the manga she found under her Christmas tree in a special holiday edition of My Week in Manga, and she’s back for more with this week’s episode.

At Okazu, Erica Friedman picks the top ten yuri manga of the year and the top ten yuri events of the year, and she posts the latest episode of Yuri Network News.

This month’s Manga Moveable Feast will focus on Moyoco Anno, and host Ash Brown has posted the call for participation and the archive page.

Matt Blind has the list of manga best-sellers for the past week at Manga Bookshelf.

Lori Henderson looks back at the year 2012 at Manga Xanadu.

At Heart of Manga, Laura looks at the new shoujo series that debuted in 2012.

News from Japan: Winter Comiket attracted 170,000 people on each of its first two days, but the Kuroko’s Basketball area was kept empty and no kurobas doujinshi circles were allowed to exhibit because of a series of threats. SaiKano creator Shin Takahashi has a couple of short projects on the drawing board.

Reviews: Carlo Santos takes aim at a crop of new manga in his latest Right Turn Only!! column at ANN. Ash Brown reviews a week of manga reading at Experiments in Manga. The Manga Bookshelf bloggers bring us up to date on some recent volumes in their latest set of Bookshelf Briefs.

Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 3 of A Bride’s Story (Blogcritics)
Connie on vol. 3 of A Bride’s Story (Slightly Biased Manga)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of Bunny Drop (Blogcritics)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 23 of D.Gray-Man (The Comic Book Bin)
Connie on vol. 1 of Demon Love Spell (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 5 of A Devil and Her Love Song (Slightly Biased Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 8 of Dorohedoro (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Rebecca Silverman on vols. 3 and 4 of The Earl and the Fairy (ANN)
Rebecca Silverman on Higurashi When They Cry vol. 1: Massacre Arc (ANN)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 20 of Higurashi: When They Cry (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Lori Henderson on vols. 18-23 of Hikaru No Go (Manga Xanadu)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Missions of Love (ANN)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Nisekoi (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 6 of One Piece (Blogcritics)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 2 of Strobe Edge (Comics Worth Reading)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 10 of Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee (ANN)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Thermae Romae (ANN)

Holiday Happenings at Manga Bookshelf

January 2, 2013 by MJ Leave a Comment

snowflakes2 Happy New Year, Manga Bookshelf readers and friends! Thank you so much for being here with us and giving us so much encouragement and support over the past year. Since many of us are just returning to our regular daily lives after the holidays, here’s a quick rundown of everything that happened here at Manga Bookshelf over the last week!

The “Best of” lists have begun! Sean, Michelle, Anna, and I each made a Pick of the Year and I posted the first two installments of my three-part series here at Manga Bookshelf:

MJ’s Best Manga of 2012, Part 1 (“Best New Print Manga” & “Best New Digital-Only Manga”)
MJ’s Best Manga of 2012, Part 2 (“Best Continuing Manga” & “Best Concluding Manga”)

Look for Part 3 sometime over the next week!

I also posted a holiday edition of My Week in Manga, featuring all the manga I found under the tree this year.

At the Manga Bookshelf forums, reader Gerichan and I discussed all four current volumes of Odagiri Hotaru’s The Betrayal Knows My Name. Our holiday book club schedule ran through the week, but please feel free to chime in anytime and continue the discussion! Also in the forums, I asked “What’s your most anticipated manga of 2013?” and Matt Blind wants to know about your 2013 Manga Resolutions!

Sean posted a slew of reviews last week, including: Kaoru Mori: Anything and Something, Blood Lad, Vol. 1, Higurashi When They Cry, Vol. 20, and Nisekoi, Vol. 1. Meanwhile, the Battle Robot collaborated on two new batches of Bookshelf Briefs (12/24/12 & 12/31/12). We also checked out this week’s new print manga and the next two weeks’ worth of offerings from JManga.

And finally, writing from Taiwan, Sara K. shared two new installments of her column “It Came from the Sinosphere,” first on Lai An’s manhua series Angel Hair and then on the Taiwanese idol drama Full Count.

More to come as we dig into the New Year! I hope you’ll join us!

Back for the new year!

January 2, 2013 by Brigid Alverson

Happy New Year! Sorry I dropped out of sight over the past week—I was busy writing a ton of posts for Robot 6, where we are celebrating our fourth anniversary by filling the blog with exclusive content—you should go take a look! We had two good manga stories: Fantagraphics will publish Inio Asano’s horror story Nijigahara Holograph, complete in one volume. Hit that link to get an early look at some of the pages. And we also ran a preview of Shigeru Mizuki’s Kitaro, coming this spring from Drawn and Quarterly.

Meanwhile, I posted my list of the best manga of 2012 (in my humble opinion) at MTV Geek.

There will be no Yaoi-Con in 2013, according to an announcement from Hikaru Sasahara, the president of Digital Manga, which started running the con last year; the next one will be in spring 2014.

We lost manga creator Kieji Nakazawa, creator of Barefoot Gen, last month; Matt Thorn wrote his obituary for The Comics Journal.

This month’s Manga Moveable Feast had Hikaru No Go for the main dish; Linda hosted it at her blog, animemiz’s Scribblings, and here’s the archive page.

Reviews

Matthew Warner on vol. 8 of Blue Exorcist (The Fandom Post)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 2 of Cactus’s Secret (Blogcritics)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 4 of Cardcaptor Sakura (omnibus edition)
Kylee Strutt on vol. 4 of Durarara!! (Animanga Nation)
Amy Grockl on vol. 3 of Flowers of Evil (Manga Village)
Andre Paploo on vol. 1 of Heroman (Kuriousity)
Ash Brown on vol. 1 of Hikaru no Go (Experiments in Manga)
Lori Henderson on vols. 12-17 of Hikaru No Go (Manga Xanadu)
Connie on One Piece, Fairy Tail, and The Law of Ueki (Comics Should Be Good)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 12 of Pandora Hearts (The Fandom Post)
Jocelyne Allen on Wata no Kuni Hoshi (Brain Vs. Book)
Matthew Warner on vol. 11 of Yotsuba&! (The Fandom Post)

My Week in Manga, Episode 5

January 2, 2013 by MJ 2 Comments

Welcome back to our new video feature, My Week in Manga! This week’s episode includes a short review of volume two of Io Sakisaka’s Strobe Edge.

Manga this week:
Chocolate (Yen Press)
Strobe Edge, Vol. 2 (VIZ Media)
A Bride’s Story, Vol. 4 (Yen Press)
His Favorite, Vol. 1 (SuBLime Manga)
Planet Ladder, Vol. 1 (Digital Manga Publishing)

Links:

Off the Shelf (Strobe Edge, Vol. 1)
MJ’s Best Manga of 2012, Part 2
Off the Shelf: Chocolat

Edited by MJ
Music (“Stickybee,” “20/20,” “Stars Collide,” & “Swansong”) by Josh Woodward

Dorohedoro, Vol. 8

January 2, 2013 by Sean Gaffney

By Q Hayashida. Released in Japan by Shogakukan, serialization ongoing in the magazine Ikki. Released in North America by Viz.

I’ve said a few times before that I don’t really read Dorohedoro for the plot, and it’s true. This is the sort of series that is best experienced by, when a new volume comes out, re-reading every previous volume just to remind yourself of all the little details. Since I don’t do that, I’m constantly forgetting things. But even I have to admit that the main plotline is starting to actually give us more than vague hints here. The Cross-Eyes are becoming more and more important, and Risu and Caiman’s search looks to be the same one, from different angles. Most of all, we meet a guy in a flashback who I have a sneaking suspicion is the one man tying this all together.

All right, enough of the plot. Let’s go back to talking about violence and humor, which are still this manga’s main fuel. Hayashida excels at writing grotesque action scenes filled with gore, and we certainly get that here. The highlight is probably Shin headbutting a man so hard his brain goes flying out the back of his head. I mean, this series isn’t rated M just for the breasts, you know. And quite often the violence and humor combine, such as the fate of the Cross-Eyed’s landlady, which is both horrible and yet somehow amusing. It’s hard to take an evil gang seriously when they’re such schlubs, and I can’t imagine what new bright-eyed character Natsuki sees in them.

The other thing threading through this entire series is drug use and abuse. The way magic works in this universe involves a lot of ‘black powder’ being sold to help non-magic users get a quick fix. Though they’re running out, so they’re starting to sell off some coarser fakes that aren’t as pure. No prizes guessing what the metaphor is here. Meanwhile, En is basically trying to build a new and better hallucinogenic mushroom, and finds that while it makes your wildest dreams come true, the comedown afterwards is rather harsh (poor Fujita…). I have to think at this point that En is aware that Chota is impersonating Nikaido and is just giving him enough rope to hang himself, given Chota’s pathetic attempts at impersonation.

But as always, it’s the relationships and friendships between everyone that are the main reason to read Dorohedoro. Shin may not have a crush on Noi the way she does on him, but his single-minded devotion to finding her is impressive to see. Nikaido and Caiman have swung back into their old groove, though I’m not sure how long that will last. Seeing Dr. Kasukabe reunite with his wife (who has a surprise new job!) is bittersweet but also rather touching, and I hope we see more of her soon. And then there’s Ebisu and her dream of her parents, reminding us that she is more than just comedy relief but a broken young girl.

I still can’t think of a dystopian title I’m enjoying more than Dorohedoro. I know that things will get much worse for everyone soon, but for once I’m actually looking forward to it. This cast does better when its backs are against the wall. And most importantly: will we see more of the Gyoza Fairy?

Moyoco Anno Manga Moveable Feast: Archive

January 1, 2013 by Ash Brown

The January 2013 Manga Moveable Feast (January 20-January 26), hosted right here at Experiments in Manga, features Moyoco Anno and her works. This page serves as the Feast’s archive and links to posts contributed to the Feast as well as to earlier reviews, interviews, and articles.

Call for Participation
An Introduction
Roundup One
Roundup Two
Roundup Three
A Final Farewell

Reviews:
Flowers & Bees, Volume 1 (Experiments in Manga)
Happy Mania, Volume 1 (Experiments in Manga)
Happy Mania, Volumes 1-5 (Manga Report)
Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators (Experiments in Manga)
Sakuran (Experiments in Manga)
Sakuran (Manga Xanadu)
Sakuran (Nagareboshi Reviews)
Sugar Sugar Rune, Volume 1 (Experiments in Manga)

Other contributions:
How a Non-Manga Fan Got Me Into Sakuran (Experiments in Manga)
Interview: Moyoco Anno “I really don’t like women that much!” (The Beat)
Moyoco Anno’s Study of the Bitch (All About Manga)
My Week in Manga (Experiments in Manga)
My Week in Manga: Moyoco Anno Edition (Manga Bookshelf)

From the archives (pre-Feast content):
Moyoco Anno at New York Comic Con 2012
Manga Interview: Moyoco Anno (MTV Geek)
New York Comic Con 2012: Moyoco Anno (Reverse Thieves)
Part 1: Moyoco Anno and the Madding Crowd (Sequential Tart)
Part 2: Moyoco Anno on Clueless Boys, Career Women, and Courtesans (Sequential Tart)
Vertical Inc Presents Moyoco Anno Panel (Anime News Network)

Chameleon Army (1995-1997)
Chameleon Army (Brain Vs. Book)

Happy Mania (1995-2001)
Happy Mania, Volume 1 (Manga Worth Reading)
Happy Mania, Volume 1 (Sesho’s Anime And Manga Reviews)
Happy Mania, Volume 1 (Slightly Biased Manga)
Happy Mania, Volume 2 (Manga Worth Reading)
Happy Mania, Volume 2 (Sesho’s Anime And Manga Reviews)
Happy Mania, Volume 3 (Sesho’s Anime And Manga Reviews)
Happy Mania, Volume 4 (Sesho’s Anime And Manga Reviews)
Happy Mania, Volume 8 (Manga Worth Reading)
Happy Mania, Volume 9 (Manga Worth Reading)
Happy Mania, Volume 11 (Slightly Biased Manga)
Happy Mania (Jason Thompson’s House of 1000 Manga)

Flowers & Bees (2000-2003)
Flowers & Bees, Volume 1 (Comics-and-More)
Flowers & Bees, Volume 1 (Slightly Biased Manga)
Flowers & Bees, Volume 2 (Slightly Biased Manga)
Flowers & Bees, Volume 3 (Slightly Biased Manga)
Flowers & Bees, Volume 6 (Slightly Biased Manga)
Flowers & Bees, Volume 7 (Slightly Biased Manga)
Flowers & Bees (Jason Thompson’s House of 1000 Manga)
8 Reasons Why You Should Read or Revisit Moyoco Anno’s Flowers and Bees (Uncharted Territory)

Sakuran: Blossoms Wild (2001-2003)
Sakuran (Anime News Network)
Sakuran (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Sakuran (Comic Attack)
Sakuran (Comics-and-More)
Sakuran (Genji Press)
Sakuran (Heart of Manga)
Sakuran (The Manga Critic)
Sakuran (Manga Test Drive)
Sakuran (Manga Worth Reading)
Sakuran (Matt Talks About Manga)
Sakuran (Otaku USA)
Sakuran (Slightly Biased Manga)
Moyoco Anno’s ‘Sakuran’ Tackles ‘Difficult’ Women in a Difficult Time [Exclusive Preview] (Comics Alliance)
Off the Shelf: Sakuran (Manga Bookshelf)
Sakuran – Is It Our Nature to Decieve? (Manga Therapy)

Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators (2005)
Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators (Graphic Novel Reporter)
Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators (Japan Reviewed)
Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators (Jason Thompson’s House of 1000 Manga)
Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators (The Manga Curmudgeon)
Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators (Read About Comics)
Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators (Slightly Biased Manga)

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