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Manga the week of 12/13/17

December 7, 2017 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown and Anna N 1 Comment

SEAN: A relatively light week next week, possibly as all the titles were pulled into the black hole that is the week after next, which crushes all in its path.

J-Novel Club has a new debut, Walking My Second Path in Life. It sounds really great, being about a princess who’s tired of being used and then forgotten about so decides to masquerade as a male squire and try to become a knight. It’s also written by someone with the penname “Otaku de Neet”, so there’s that. I am thus cautiously optimistic?

Kodansha’s digital releases now outstrip their print by about 5 to 1. On the print side, there’s a 4th Aho-Girl, a 6th Clockwork Planet, a 3rd Kigurumi Guardians, and a 7th Princess Jellyfish, which I’m finally falling behind on (and feeling guilty).

MICHELLE: I always delight in a new Princess Jellyfish!

ASH: Indeed! I’m still incredibly happy that the series is being released in print. (And that we’ll be getting Tokyo Tarareba Girls, too!)

ANNA: Good stuff!

SEAN: In ongoing digital titles, we have, and try to say this all in one breath: Aoba-kun’s Confessions 5, Black Panther and Sweet 16 5, Chihayafuru 7, Domestic Girlfriend 12, Drowning Love 6, Grand Blue Dreaming 4 (that’s getting print later next year), House of the Sun 12, Kokkaku: Moment by Moment 3, and PTSD Radio 2. Eeesh. Chihayafuru is my pick from that pile.

MICHELLE: Mine, too, but I do still intend to check out Drowning Love and a couple others.

SEAN: Seven Seas has Vol. 13 of A Centaur’s Life, which continues to be the most deeply random ongoing series I’ve ever read.

ASH: I’ve definitely fallen behind, but the manga can be really interesting even if its tone and direction can be somewhat erratic.

SEAN: They also have a 7th Dance in the Vampire Bund omnibus, which I think takes in some of the sequels and side-stories.

And the print edition of the 4th Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash light novel.

SuBLime has two titles next week, with a 6th Don’t Be Cruel (still putting Elvis in my head every time I see it) and a 4th Deluxe Edition for Finder.

ASH: The deluxe edition is really nice, especially for fans who haven’t already invested in the series. (And it includes additional content to entice those who already have.)

SEAN: Vertical has a 6th massive volume for BLAME!, which I discovered at Anime NYC I’ve been mispronouncing all this time.

MICHELLE: It’s, like, bu-rah-mu or something, isn’t it?

SEAN: It’s apparently BLAM, as if written without the E.

We are almost finished with Itsuwaribito, though I could be lying. Sure seems that Vol. 22 is the second to last, though.

ASH: Ha!

SEAN: And Magi has a 27th volume, and may be killing off one of its main characters? Though somehow I doubt that.

MICHELLE: Volume 26 ended on quite the cliffhanger, so I’m definitely looking forward to this.

ANNA: Soooo far behind with this series. One day!

SEAN: Lastly, we see the debut of Splatoon. This series, based on the third person shooter game, is actually one of several manga that have come out. This one is Shogakukan’s title from CoroCoro Comic Special. Given it ran in CoroCoro, I expect it is geared for younger readers.

Are you getting anything next week, or saving up for the hell that is bearing down on us?

My Week in Manga: November 27-December 3, 2017

December 4, 2017 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

The most recent manga giveaway at Experiments in Manga is currently underway! The winner will be announced on Wednesday, so there’s still a little time left to enter for a chance to win four of Kodansha Comics’ print debuts from 2017: Haruko Kumota’s Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, Lily Hoshino’s Kigurumi Guardians, Haruko Ichikawa’s Land of the Lustrous, and Musawo’s Love & Lies. (Also, a couple other giveaways are going on right now that I would like to highlight: The Manga Test Drive’s annual holiday giveaway and Taneka Stott’s third annual queer comics giveaway.) Last week I finally managed to post the in-depth review that I’ve been working on for a while now, taking a closer look at Knights-Errant, Volume 1 by Jennifer Doyle. Knights-Errant is a fantastic comic, a queer-positive, dark historical fantasy with a compelling story and characters. I highly, highly recommend the series. (It can also be read online for free at Sparkler Monthly!) Initially I was intending to write one more in-depth review before the year was over (and before I retire Experiments in Manga), but after some thought I think that Knights-Errant will have the honor of receiving the last. However, I am still working on and will be posting my random musings on some of year’s notable releases, so there is that to look forward to.

Quick Takes

Arakawa Under the Bridge, Omnibus 1 (equivalent to Volumes 1-2) by Hikaru Nakamura. My introduction to Arakawa Under the Bridge was through its anime adaptation, an incredibly quirky and bizarre work which I found to be highly entertaining. Only later did I discover that the creator of the original manga was also the creator of Saint Young Men, a series that I hope might one day be translated as well. (Despite interest from fans and publishers alike, Saint Young Men has been unlicensable for the North American market, but I can’t help hoping that if Arakawa Under the Bridge is successful that might change.) Arakawa Under the Bridge is an absolutely ridiculous manga and I enjoyed it immensely. The chapters are short and somewhat episodic so the narrative flow can be disjointed, but Nakamura eventually develops a nice rhythm as more of the increasingly large, and strange, cast is introduced. The absurdity of the characters is really what makes Arakawa Under the Bridge work. I’m particularly fond of Sister, an ex-mercenary who crossdresses as a nun, but the manga is filled with astonishing personalities.

A Polar Bear in Love, Volume 1 by Koromo. Stories about star-crossed lovers aren’t especially rare, but none in my experience are quite like A Polar Bear in Love. Granted, at this point only one of the pair is actually in love. As impossible as it seems, Mr. Polar Bear as fallen for Li’l Seal. Understandably, considering the normal order of the food chain, Li’l Seal is a bit concerned by this. They’re both males, too, but the real issue is that Li’l Seal expects to be eaten at any moment. The power dynamics are a little tricky, but over the course of the first volume, Mr. Polar Bear demonstrates the earnestness of his love and at least tries not to be too pushy about his feelings. Li’l Seal slowly realizes he might not actually be on the menu, but that’s not going to solve everything about their relationship, either. A Polar Bear in Love can be both incredibly adorable and surprisingly dark, occasionally even at the same time. Even while being anthropomorphized, Li’l Seal and and Mr. Polar Bear also have to face more realistic concerns of survival. On the surface A Polar Bear in Love is delightfully silly manga, but it also has a thing or two to say about love and relationships.

To Your Eternity, Volume 1 by Yoshitoki Oima. I have been following Oima’s progress as an artist and storyteller with great interest. Oima’s first major work was the manga adaptation of Tow Ubukata’s novel Mardock Scramble, parts of which I actually greatly preferred over its source material. However, what really impressed me was her powerful original series, A Silent Voice. When Kodansha Comics announced it would be releasing To Your Eternity, Oima’s current ongoing series, I immediately took note and looked forward to reading it with great anticipation. The first chapter of To Your Eternity is one of the most beautifully devastating narratives that I’ve read in a while and it seems as though it may only be a prelude for what is to come. (It also includes a fairly significant plot twist which makes the series a little difficult to discuss without giving away major spoilers.) Oima has created a complex fantasy world complete with it’s own legends and lore exploring the meaning of life and loyalty to family and community. To Your Eternity is absolutely heartbreaking, unsettling, and striking in both its story and artwork. I definitely plan on reading more.

Manga the Week of 12/6/17

November 30, 2017 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown and Anna N 1 Comment

SEAN: The first week of December seems like a cakewalk compared to the third, but that’s only a matter of degrees. Let’s see what we’ve got.

Dark Horse has an 8th volume of Blood Blockade Battlefront, whose 7th volume came out sometime in the 17th century, I believe.

ASH: That does sound about right.

SEAN: Ghost Ship is the new imprint for Seven Seas’ more racy titles, though honestly I’m not sure how they’re different from a lot of Seven Seas’ other racy titles. They begin with two Shonen Jump titles that Viz never bothered to pick up: To-Love-Ru, a sweet yet ecchi romantic comedy, and To-Love-Ru Darkness, its much racier sequel that verges on hentai at times. We get an omnibus of the first two volumes of the first series, and the first volume of its sequel.

ASH: I’m curious to see how this imprint develops. It’s also incredibly interesting to see Shonen Jump titles from a publisher other than Viz!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has another debut, this one called How NOT To Summon a Demon Lord. I believe the Japanese title mentioned slave magic, so I will withhold my thoughts till I see how it handles it.

ASH: I wonder if Seven Seas might eventually team up with J-Novel Club to print this series, too, since the manga adaptation has also been licensed.

SEAN: There’s also a 5th Mixed Bathing in Another Dimension, which has caught up with Japan so has longer wait times.

Kodansha has STUFF. The first digital debut is Drifting Dragons, which seems to combine dragons and cooking. It runs in good! Afternoon.

MICHELLE: Oooh! And next year we’re getting househunting dragons, too.

ANNA: That sounds fun!

ASH: I would totally read that.

SEAN: The other debut digitally is Ayanashi, a fantasy drama from Shonen Magazine R. World overtaken by monsters, our hero bent on revenge, can he open up to others?

Also out digitally we have Pumpkin Scissors 16 (the Del Rey rescue) Yozakura Quartet 19 (ditto), Altair: A Record of Battles 6, The Full-Time Wife Escapist 7, Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 3, and Real Girl 8. I haven’t even reviewed Wife Escapist 6 yet…

MICHELLE: It’s good!

ANNA: So far behind with Wife Escapist, but I still like it!

SEAN: Kodansha’s print debut is Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, which is another shoujo title from Dessert but whose premise intrigues me.

MICHELLE: I am always willing to at least try Dessert titles, having liked a lot of them.

ANNA: Me too!

ASH: I am also rather intrigued.

SEAN: If you wanted to pick up the Attack on Titan: No Regrets series but decided to wait till it came out in a Complete Color Edition, have I got good news for you!

ASH: I’m not such devotee that I’ll be double-dipping, but I did like this (shoujo!) spinoff. This will probably be the definitive edition, though.

SEAN: And there’s a 7th Fire Force, which continues to not be Soul Eater.

Seven Seas has 2nd volumes for Akashic Records of Bastard Magical Instructor and Captain Harlock: Dimensional Voyage, two series nothing like each other. We also get a 13th Dragonar Academy and an 8th Magika Swordsman and Summoner.

ANNA: CAPTAIN HARLOCK!

ASH: I liked the first volume! I will read more!

SEAN: Vertical has the 2nd and final Helvetica Standard volume, subtitled Italic.

And it’s the first week of the month, so there must be a ton of Viz. Two debuts. The first is Astra: Lost in Space, a Shonen Jump + series by the author of Sket Dance that looks to be a lot more serious than that title ever was.

The other debut is The Promised Neverland, a Weekly Shonen Jump series that I know little about except it’s become quite popular in Japan. Is it the new My Hero Academia?

ASH: I’m interested in both of these, but Kate recently posted a great review of The Promised Neverland, so I know which one I’ll be starting with.

SEAN: Shonen ongoing series! Assassination Classroom 19, Dragon Ball Super 2, Food Wars! 21, Haikyu!! 18, Kuroko’s Basketball 17-18, a 22nd One Piece 3-in-1, and the 4th Platinum End.

MICHELLE: Yay for food and sports!

ANNA: Indeed!

ASH: That is a pretty great combination, actually.

SEAN: Shoujo ongoing series! The 9th Bloody Mary, a 7th Everyone’s Getting Married (OK, that’s josei), and a 2nd Queen’s Quality.

ANNA: Excited for both Everyone’s Getting Married and Queen’s Quality!

ASH: Same! (Even though I’ve fallen behind…)

SEAN: It’s a mangatopia! What are you interested in?

Manga Giveaway: A Cache of Kodansha Comics

November 29, 2017 by Ash Brown

November is nearly over which means it’s time for the usual monthly giveaway at Experiments in Manga! As has become tradition, November’s giveaway features a whole feast of manga rather than a single title. This month, everyone participating has the opportunity to win not one but four volumes of manga released (in print!) by Kodansha Comics in the last year: Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, Volume 1 by Haruko Kumota, Kigurumi Guardians, Volume 1 by Lily Hoshino, Land of the Lustrous, Volume 1 by Haruko Ichikawa, and Love & Lies, Volume 1 by Musawo. As usual, the giveaway is open worldwide!

Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, Volume 1

Although many manga publishers have started to release more and more titles digitally, Kodansha Comics in particular has been making tremendous strides in the digital realm over the last year or so. Personally, I much prefer a physical volume that I can hold in my hands, but I am still very happy that so much content is being officially translated and released. Even if it’s not in my preferred format, at least it’s available. But while I lament the digital titles that for one reason or another will likely never be published physically, there are still plenty of interesting and intriguing manga being released in print to keep me occupied.

So, you may be wondering, how can you win a cache of Kodansha Comics?

1) In the comments below, tell me a little about your manga reading preferences and habits when it comes to print versus digital debate.
2) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting, or retweeting, about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me).

There it is! Participants in the giveaway can earn up to two entries and have one week to submit comments. If needed or preferred, comments can also be sent to me via email at phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com which I will then post here in your name. The giveaway winner will be randomly selected and announced on December 6, 2017. Best of luck!

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

Contest winner announced–Manga Giveaway Winner: A Cache of Kodansha Comics Winner

My Week in Manga: November 20-November 26, 2017

November 27, 2017 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

For everyone following along with Experiments in Manga, it’s probably obvious that things are running a little behind here right now. I intended to post an in-depth review last week (actually, two weeks ago), but life intervened. While I did manage to make some significant progress, the review is just not quite ready. However, I can confidently say that I’ll be able to post it later this week. (For real, this time!) There’s this month’s manga giveaway to look forward to on Wednesday, as well. So, after a couple of weeks of quiet, this week will be relatively busy here at the blog.

Quick Takes

Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, Volumes 2-3 by Haruko Kumota. Although rakugo isn’t completely unknown to me (I’ve even seen a live performance), most of my exposure to the art form has been through reading Descending Stories. The first volume introduced Kyoji, a young man who is given the name of Yotaro as part of his apprenticeship under a Yakumo, a highly-respected rakugo artist. While Yotaro does put hard work into learning the craft, his successes can more often be attributed to his natural charisma and earnest enthusiasm than actual technique. Yakumo’s stage presence and approach to rakugo is dramatically different. With the second and third volumes, Descending Stories begins to explore Yakumo’s backstory in greater detail. He details his own coming of age and relationship with and to rakugo. Yakumo, like Yotaro, struggled to find a way express himself through performance, bringing him into conflict with those closest to him. Descending Stories is an engrossing drama that becomes more compelling with each volume; I definitely plan on reading more of the series.

The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, Volumes 2-3 by Nagabe. One of the most beautiful, unusual, and unsettling manga that I’ve encountered this year is Nagabe’s The Girl from the Other Side. The artwork in particular is striking, but the series as a whole is incredibly atmospheric, a chilling fairytale-like story that unfolds at a tantalizingly slow pace with bursts of shocking violence and heartbreak. At times The Girl from the Other Side can be delightfully charming, but a sense of foreboding is a constant shadow. Shiva was abandoned to the Outside, perhaps for her own sake or perhaps for the sake of others. Now, however, she is being deliberately sought out to be brought back Inside. But while for the time being Shiva’s life may no longer be in immediate danger, her innocence is still poised to be shattered. Teacher continues to guard and protect her even as the curse, and the human response to that curse, threatens to destroy the two of them and their world. With both exceptional artwork and storytelling, The Girl from the Other Side is easily one of my favorite manga currently being released in English.

Manga the Week of 11/29/17

November 23, 2017 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Anna N, Michelle Smith and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: Ugh. Let’s just lay it all out as quickly as possible. Cute comments to a minimum, there’s too much stuff!

Kodansha Digital… oof. New series include Lovesick Ellie, another cute Dessert shoujo, and My Brother the Shut-In, which I know nothing about except it runs in Morning Two. I always check out things from Morning Two.

MICHELLE: Yep, both of these are on my “check these out” pile.

ANNA: I’m intrigued but also overwhelmed at all the digital manga I haven’t read yet!

MJ: What Anna said.

SEAN: Also from Kodansha digital: All Out!! 3, Beauty Bunny 3, Cosplay Animal 3, DEATHTOPIA 6, Domestic Girlfriend 11, Drowning Love 5, Giant Killing 8, House of the Sun 11, Kounodori: Dr. Stork 6, and Peach Heaven 10. Phew. Cosplay Animal is what I’m interested in most from that pile.

MICHELLE: I’m already getting so far behind on All-Out!! and it’s just getting started!

ASH: It’s amazing how many titles are being released digitally these days, and how quickly, too!

SEAN: Kodansha still releases print as well, believe it or not. There’s Sweetness and Lightning 9, Waiting for Spring 3, and Welcome to the Ballroom 8.

MICHELLE: Aaaaand I’ll need all three of these, as well.

ASH: Sweetness and Lightning is definitely one of my priorities!

SEAN: There must have been a pileup at Seven Seas Interstate Thruway, as there are far more new titles this week than usual, starting with a debut that’s a mouthful: Anti-Magic Academy: The 35th Test Platoon. This seems to be a done in one omnibus.

Also debuting is Magical Girl Special Ops Asuka, which I think is another in the endless magical girl series for guys with fetishes. Whee.

There’s also continuing series: Devils and Realist 13, Don’t Meddle with My Daughter 2, Hana & Hina After School 3, Plum Crazy! 3, Re: Monster 3, The Seven Princes of the Thousand Year Labyrinth 4 (that’s a final volume), Shomin Sample 7, Tales of Zestria 3, and There’s a Demon Lord on the Floor 4.

ASH: That’s the last volume of Hana & Hina After School, too, I think. I’ll need to pick that up.

SEAN: Vertical Comics has a 5th To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts.

Viz has three titles delayed from the beginning of the month, as we get Anonymous Noise 5 and Idol Dreams 4.

Their debut is SP Baby, a new josei series from the author of Happy Marriage.

ASH: Glad for more josei being released.

ANNA: Unsurprisingly I enjoyed this!!!!

SEAN: And Yen Press still has some more titles. Digitally we see Aphorism 13, Crimson Prince 13, and Sekirei 13 on the manga side, and Accel World 5-8, Irregular at Magic High School 3-4, and The Isolator 1-3 on the light novel side.

The debut light novel is Wolf & Parchment, the sequel to Spice & Wolf.

Debuting on the manga end is ACCA, the newest manga from Ono Natsume, whose middle-aged men have been dearly missed the last couple of years. It runs in Big Gangan.

MICHELLE: Yaaay! I have indeed missed her work.

ASH: I am so excited for this!!

ANNA: I somehow forgot this was happening! But I am also excited!!!!!

MJ: YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

SEAN: There’s also a Sword Art Online artbook. I got the Japanese version, and it looks pretty great, let me tell you.

MJ: I’m so ready!

SEAN: Ongoing titles include BTOOOM! 19, Danmachi 8 (the manga version), The Isolator 2 (likewise), Karneval omnibus 8, Kiss & White Lily for My Dearest Girl 4, and Spirits & Cat Ears 4.

I think I compressed that as much as humanly possible. Be thankful. What are you getting?

My Week in Manga: November 13-November 19, 2017

November 20, 2017 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

Last week was a very quiet one here at Experiments in Manga with nothing posted other than the usual My Week in Manga feature. However, I did manage to make some progress with my next in-depth review, so that should (hopefully!) be posted later this week. While not much was happening here at the blog, the North American manga publishers were all keeping pretty busy last week with a variety of license announcements, made either online or while at Anime NYC.

Starting with the online licensing spree from Seven Seas: The Bride & the Exorcist Knight manga by Keiko Ishihara; The Bride Was a Boy manga by Chii (an autobio comic by a transwoman–I’ll definitely be picking this up!); the Claudine manga by Riyoko Ikeda (I am absolutely thrilled by this license); teh Fairy Tale Battle Royale manga by Soraho Ina; the Harukana Receive manga by Nyoijizai; the How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom light novels by Dojyomaru and Fuyuyuki (previously released digitally by J-Novel Club); the My Solo Exchange Diary manga by Nagata Kabi (a follow-up to My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness); the Ojojojo manga by coolkyousinnjya; the Plus-Sized Elf manga by Synecdoche; the Space Battleship Yamato manga by Leiji Matsumoto (I’m so happy more influential classic manga is being translated); the True Tenchi Muyo! light novels is written by Masaki Kajishima and Yousuke Kuroda; the Versailles of the Dead manga by Kumiko Suekane; and the Wonderland manga by Yugo Ishikawa.

At Anime NYC, Kodansha Comics announced that it would be releasing Yasushi Baba’s Golosseum manga and Vertical Comics revealed that it would be publishing Tsutomu Nihei’s Aposimz. As for Viz Media, the publisher announced that it would be releasing a print edition of Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court’s My Hero Academia: Vigilantes manga (currently being released digitally) in addition to a brand new license, Okura and Coma Hashii’s That Blue Sky Feeling manga (I’m really looking forward to this one).

Yen Press has picked up quite a few things as well: Sanzo’s Caterpillar Girl and Bad Texter Boy manga; Tsukikage and Bob’s Defeating the Demon Lord’s a Cinch (If You Have a Ringer) light novels; Kazushige Nojima’s Final Fantasy VII short story collection; Natsuki Takaya’s Fruits Basket Another manga; Yoh Yoshinari’s Little Witch Academia manga; Hiroumi Aoi’s Shibuya Goldfish manga; Yusaku Komiyama’s Star Wars: Lost Stars manga; Gao Yuzuki’s The Strange Creature at Kuroyuri Apartments manga; Keiichi Sigsawa’s Sword Art Online: Alternative Gun Gale Online light novels; Soichiro Yamamoto’s Teasing Master Takagi-san manga; Mito Aoi’s Tsuno no Gakuen manga; and Akira Kareno’s WorldEnd light novels.

Quick Takes

Land of the Lustrous, Volumes 2-3 by Haruko Ichikawa. I found the first volume of Land of the Lustrous to be pretty, but perplexing; Ichikawa’s artwork can be absolutely stunning even while the plot remains somewhat impenetrable. Even so, I was and remain intrigued by Land of the Lustrous and its peculiar charm. The second and third volumes continue to explore the world that Ichikawa has created. Largely following Phos, who has been charged with writing a natural history (providing an excellent excuse to show readers around), more is slowly revealed about the Lustrous, the Lunarians with whom they battle, and the larger environment in which they live. The manga still seems to be primarily concerned about finding opportunities to display exquisite visuals–and there are certainly plenty of those–but the series’ underlying symbolism, themes, and mythologies are starting to coalesce and crystallize as well. Land of the Lustrous can be surprisingly philosophical even while being strange and surreal. I may not always understand exactly what’s going on, but I am captivated by the manga’s allure.

Void’s Enigmatic Mansion, Volumes 1-2 by HeeEun Kim. It seems as though there are fewer manhwa being translated into English these days, but Yen Press still publishes some. The fifth and final volume of Void’s Enigmatic Mansion was released earlier this year which made me realize that I hadn’t actually gotten around to reading any of the series yet. JiEun Ha is credited as the creator of the original, but I haven’t been able to determine if that means there’s another version of the story out there in a different medium or if Ha simply developed the basic manhwa’s premise. In either case, Kim is the series’ adapter and artist. The titular mansion is a seven-story building, most of which the owner rents out. The mysterious Mr. Void hasn’t been seen yet (as far as readers know), but a number of his tenants have, none of whom live particularly happy lives. Void’s Enigmatic Mansion tends to be fairly episodic although there are also threads tying all of the characters and their unsettling stories together. Kim’s full-color illustrations can be quite beautiful, but they are also punctuated by shocking moments of blood and gore befitting the series’ horror.

Manga the Week of 11/22/17

November 15, 2017 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, MJ, Ash Brown and Anna N 1 Comment

SEAN: The November Crush continues, and there’s no respite. Let’s dive right in.

We start with novels, as Haikasoru has the 5th volume of Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

MICHELLE: Every time I say I really will read this series and every time I mean it, but every time I fail to accomplish it.

ASH: I’m a little behind myself, but I am enjoying the series.

ANNA: I have the first book but I haven’t read it yet.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has the slightly less dignified 6th volume of I Saved Too Many Girls And Caused the Apocalypse.

Kodansha is digitally still giving us Del Rey rescues – here’s Princess Resurrection 20.

There’s also a new pile of their current digital-only series. We have Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 3, I’m in Love and It’s the End of the World 2, Kasane 7, Real Girl 7, Space Brothers 30, and Until Your Bones Rot 2.

Print has some heavy hitters as well, starting with the Deluxe Edition of Battle Angel Alita. This is the first series, which old-timers will recall came out from Viz back in the pamphlet comic days, though I believe this is a new translation/orientation. This is also a hardcover omnibus.

Cells at Work! has a 5th volume out next week.

MICHELLE: I have missed learning about neutrophils and the like.

ASH: I get such a huge kick out of this series.

ANNA: We have a couple volumes at my library!

SEAN: And we get a 2nd Kiss Me at the Stroke of Midnight, whose first volume I found… needed to be more quirky.

MICHELLE: Heh. I will at least be checking this out.

SEAN: And if you enjoyed the anthology Neo Parasyte f, you’ll love the 2nd volume, Neo Parasyte m.

ASH: I’m looking forward to this! Moto Hagio is one of the contributors, among other things.

SEAN: One Peace has a 12th volume of Maria Holic, which somehow remains popular, I suppose.

Speaking of series I can’t kill with fire from my mind, Seven Seas has a 3rd How to Build a Dungeon.

And also a 2nd Red Riding Hood and the Big Sad Wolf.

Their debut is Slumbering Beauty, which comes from Yumi Unita, the creator of Bunny Drop. It runs in Rakuen Le Paradis, which will always get my attention, and is apparently a “modern day fairy tale”. (No wife husbandry this time around, please.)

MICHELLE: I’m very interested in this one!

ASH: As am I! (Also, I didn’t realize it was a series until just now.)

ANNA: Huh, I liked Bunny Drop until I know how the story was going to end, so I’m curious about this.

SEAN: Vertical also has a big debut. We can’t get Saint Young Men just yet, but we can get the author’s other hit, Arakawa Under the Bridge. It’s very strange, and ran in Square Enix’s Young Gangan. I believe Crunchyroll also has it digitally.

MJ: I’m so on board for this.

ASH: I greatly enjoyed the anime adaptation, so I’m very excited to read the original manga. Hopefully this may help pave the way for more of Nakamura’s work in translation.

ANNA: Strange manga from Vertical is my (occasional) jam!

SEAN: And not to be outdone, Viz gives us the debut of Children of the Whales (Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau). a dark mystery that appropriately runs in Akita Shoten’s Mystery Bonita. It looks very swank.

MICHELLE: “Dark mystery” is right up my alley.

ASH: If nothing else, the first volume’s cover art is gorgeous, but the story sounds intriguing as well.

ANNA: Will be checking this out for sure.

SEAN: Viz also has a 5th Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt (Gundam manga two weeks in a row? Go back in time and tell the fans in 1999 that this is a thing.)

And rejoice, there is a 13th volume of Ooku! It’s down to once a year, but the anticipation makes it better.

MICHELLE: Verily, I rejoice.

MJ: As doth I!

ASH: Forsooth!

ANNA: Indeed.

SEAN: Lastly (for Viz), if you like Tokyo Ghoul, there’s an artbook out called Illustrations: zakki.

And now for Yen, starting with the light novels. If you like Re: Zero but hate Subaru, you’ll love this spinoff series, Re: Zero EX. This first volume focuses on the past of Crusch and Felis.

We are getting many light novels in the coming months with very, very silly premises, and this may be one of the most interesting. So I’m a Spider, So What? is a standard “class of students are transported to fantasy world and given cool powers” work. However, our heroine is a spider. Which is considered a monster, so she has to fear for her life. Just the word ‘heroine’ makes me happy here.

MJ: I feel like if there’s a chance for me to get into light novels, this would be it. Can it do the job?

ASH: It is nice to have a heroine for a change of pace!

SEAN: And if you wanted to see more of the cast of your name, there’s a book of stories out next week called Another Side: Earthbound.

Yen Press has the complete in one omnibus Corpse Party: Book of Shadows, a sequel to the kill em off mystery series.

Forbidden Scrollery debuts. Technically a fantasy with lots of yokai and pretty art, it’s also a spinoff of the popular bullet hell game Touhou. I am hoping you don’t need any backstory to enjoy it.

ASH: I didn’t realize it was a spinoff, but the yokai definitely have my attention. Also, the book-related magic.

MJ: I like yokai and pretty art.

SEAN: Kakegurui: Compulsive Gambler has a 3rd print edition.

Log Horizon: The West Wind Brigade has been losing my attention lately, so I hope its 7th volume steps up its game.

If you want to read all of Pandora Hearts, and you love packaging, get the PandoraBox, which features all the volumes enclosed in a gorgeous trunk.

MJ: I can’t possibly justify this purchase, but I can recommend!

SEAN: Comic Gene is known for weird series, and the last debut next week certainly falls in that category. A Polar Bear in Love is the adorable tale of the titular polar bear and his love for a seal. Fun ensues.

Lastly, we get the 2nd your name manga.

Think we’re done? We’re not remotely done! Tune in the week after next for even worse November madness!

My Week in Manga: November 6-November 12, 2017

November 13, 2017 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

The Bookshelf Overload for October was posted at Experiments in Manga last week, giving a quick summary of some of the interesting manga, anime, and other media that made their way into my home last month. Otherwise, it was a fairly quiet week at the blog, and it’s going to be even quieter this week. I’m currently work on my next in-depth review, but I suspect that it won’t be ready to reveal to the world until sometime next week. (Hopefully it will be worth the wait.) As for other interesting things recently found online: Brigid Alverson wrote up a recap of an interview with Fairy Tail creator Hiro Mashima from this year’s New York Comic Con for Barnes & Noble and over at Crunchyroll Evan Minto interviewed Frederik L. Schodt, a manga translator, scholar, and personal friend of Osamu Tezuka.

Quick Takes

Shirley, Volume 1 by Kaoru Mori. Only the first volume of Shirley was ever released in English. It’s now well out-of-print, but it’s also well-worth picking up. I would love to see Yen Press release the entire series in a handsome omnibus that would be at home next to the new edition of Mori’s Emma. I believe that most if not all of the short manga in the first volume of Shirley precede Emma, but the collection was only published after the first volume of Emma was released. The artwork is simpler than that found in Mori’s most recent series in translation, A Bride’s Story, but it is still quite lovely and evocative. As a whole, Shirley is a charming work. Mori’s love of maids is quite evident. The first volume collects five episodic chapters which follow Bennett Cranley and the titular Shirley Madison, a young maid that Bennett hires, in addition to two other stories unrelated by plot although they both also feature Edwardian-era maids. Shirley is only thirteen when she starts working for Bennett and they develop a close, if somewhat unusual, relationship as a result. While Shirley is a very capable maid she is still young–at times its as though she’s more like Bennett’s ward rather than her employee. She’s a sweet, likeable girl, so it’s easy to see why Bennett would be so taken with her.

The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag. I first learned about The Witch Boy while at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival earlier this year. Ostertag was on the panel “LGBTQ Comics Abroad” along with several other creators when she mentioned the upcoming publication of the graphic novel; I immediately added it to my list of comics to pick up when it was released. Ostertag is probably best known as the artist of the ongoing webcomic Strong Female Protagonist and has collaborated as an illustrator on several other comics projects as well. However, The Witch Boy is her debut work as both author and artist. The graphic novel is aimed at middle grade readers, but the comic will be able to be appreciated by adult audiences as well. Aster comes from a family of magic users–the women are taught the secrets of witchery while the men are expected to learn how to shapeshift, a tradition which is strictly adhered to. Much to his family’s dismay, Aster would much rather study with the girls than roughhouse with the boys. Forbidden from learning the women’s magic despite his talent for it, Aster longs for his family to accept his true self. The Witch Boy is a beautiful story with a wonderful message; I hope to read more of Ostertag’s writing in the future.

Attack on Titan: The Anime Guide by Ryosuke Sakuma and Munehiko Inagaki. Kodansha Comics almost exclusively publishes manga, although over time a few other things have been released as well, most of which are in some way a part of the massively successful Attack on Titan franchise. One of the more recent non-manga offerings is Attack on Titan: The Anime Guide, a full-color volume consisting of artwork, character designs, process overviews, and other background information relating to the first season of the Attack on Titan anime. The Anime Guide will mostly appeal to readers who are already devoted fans of Attack on Titan. What interested me most were the numerous interviews included in the book. The most notable is the lengthy interview with and conversation between Hajime Isayama and Tetsuro Araki, the original creator of Attack on Titan and the series director of the anime respectively. (Isayama saw the anime as an opportunity to improve upon or even correct aspects of the manga with which he wasn’t completely satisfied.) The interviews with the anime’s chief animation directors, Titan designer, action animation directors, scriptwriter, voice actors, and theme song musicians were also interesting to read.

Manga the Week of 11/15/17

November 9, 2017 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown and Anna N 4 Comments

SEAN: The November from hell continues – a second week of the month is supposed to be quiet!

J-Novel has a couple of titles to start us off. The 6th Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is one of them.

The other is a debut, and may be familiar to anime fans. Outbreak Company is another of those pesky isekai novels, about an anime and manga otaku who ends up trapped in another world.

Kodansha has a ton. The debut digital title (actually already out this week, because Kodansha) is I’m in Love and It’s the End of the World, a shoujo title from the creator of House of the Sun that’s been running in Dessert, about a quiet, negative girl who somehow attracts the attention of the school prince. Wow, we’ve never seen that before.

MICHELLE: And certainly not from Dessert specifically!

ANNA: That sounds so new!!!!!

SEAN: And for digital fans, we also have Chihayafuru 6, Drowning Love 4, House of the Sun 10, Kokkaku: Moment by Moment 2, Magical Sempai 3, and Peach Heaven 9. Phew.

MICHELLE: I’ll be picking of several of those!

ANNA: Cannot believe I need to get caught up on Chihayafuru!

SEAN: Kodansha still has print, believe it or not. We have the penultimate volume of Fairy Tail, the 62nd.

There’s also a 2nd Frau Faust, whose title I recommend singing to the Gershwin song “By Strauss”.

ASH: Frau Faust is the thing! (I greatly enjoyed the first volume and am looking forward to reading more.)

SEAN: The Seven Deadly Sins is glaring at Fairy Tail with jealousy as it releases its 23rd volume.

And UQ Holder’s 12th volume just gives in and straight up has the Negima cast on its cover.

One Peace has a 7th manga volume for The Rise of the Shield Hero.

Seven Seas has four new titles, with Generation Witch 2, Holy Corpse Rising 4, My Monster Secret 8, and Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid 5.

SuBLime has the debut of A Strange and Mystifying Story, which seems to have a guy with elf ears, but otherwise sees the typical vaguely predatory BL cover art.

MICHELLE: Oh, I had no idea this series (formerly published by DMP) had been rescued! The first two volumes were pretty good (despite some problematic consent issues), but it seems to have taken a turn for the better in volume three. I’m glad to have the chance to finish the series!

ASH: Sean, those are obviously wolf ears. Like Michelle, I’m glad to see this series being rescued!

SEAN: Vertical Comics has a 3rd volume of the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing manga.

Every time we see a new volume of Requiem of the Rose King, it has a tendency to be Pick of the Week here at Manga Bookshelf. I don’t expect that to change with Vol. 7.

MICHELLE: Heh.

ASH: I do love this series so.

ANNA: It is the best.

SEAN: And we’re at 25 volumes of Rin-Ne with still no plot progression.

MICHELLE: Yep.

SEAN: Yen Press has the rest of the week, starting with the novel line. A Certain Magical Index left off last time with the heroines swapped to the wrong guy. Can they solve this problem and deal with another invasion from the Catholic… sorry, Roman Orthodox church? Find out in lucky book 13.

Durarara!! has an 8th volume, and will likely feature Izaya being smug and punchable, be warned.

And more dead girls arrive in the 2nd Magical Girl Raising Project.

Yen has one debut next week, a new spinoff from Sword Art Online. Called Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online, it’s based on a light novel (as yet unlicensed) by the Kino’s Journey creator, and features a whole new cast, I believe.

There are only two manga based on light novels out next week, not counting SAOA. KonoSuba reaches its fifth volume, and Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers has Vol. 4.

And there’s a large number of continuing titles, which I will list as follows: Anne Happy 7, The Case Study of Vanitas 3, Delicious in Dungeon 3, Demonizer Zilch 4, Dimension W 8, First Love Monster 8, Girls Last Tour 3, Puella Magi Tart Magica 5, The Royal Tutor 4, Today’s Cerberus 6, and Trinity Seven 11. Of that pile, Delicious in Dungeon seems the most promising to me.

MICHELLE: Same.

ASH: Delicious in Dungeon is definitely the one I’m most looking forward to, although there are a few others in there that I’ve been meaning to get around to reading.

SEAN: Are you keeping up? Or hopelessly behind? What are you getting?

MICHELLE: So totally hopelessly behind.

ANNA: Indeed.

My Week in Manga: October 30-November 5, 2017

November 6, 2017 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

Last week at Experiments in Manga I announced the winner of the Oresama Teacher giveaway. The post also includes a select list of some of the manga released in English that have notable delinquents (and in some cases ex-delinquents) in them. In licensing news, Dark Horse recently announced that it will be releasing The Flame Dragon Knight, a novel by Makoto Fukami which is based on Kentaro Miura’s manga series Berserk. Also, Yen Press is adding more yuri to its catalog: the manga anthology Eclair and the light novel adaptation of Napping Princess will both be released in English in 2018.

Quick Takes

Yokai Rental Shop, Volume 1 by Shin Mashiba. I greatly enjoyed Mashiba’s earlier manga series Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun and so was very excited when Yokai Rental Shop was licensed. I have been looking forward to giving the manga a try not only because of Mashiba’s involvement but also because yokai play a prominent role. Hiiragi is a public servant who recently learned, on his mother’s deathbed, that he has a half-brother. Initially he’s thrilled, but then he actually meets Karasu, a man who doesn’t hesitate to help his customers realize their darkest desires. So far, Yokai Rental Shop has yet to really distinguish itself from any number of other horror series featuring a supernatural boutique. Additionally, one of the things that made Nightmare Inspector so engaging–the use of a wide variety of illustration styles–is largely missing from Yokai Rental Shop. The major exception to this is how most of the yokai in the spirit district are drawn to be more reminiscent of traditional ink drawings, an artistic touch that I particularly appreciated. While at this point Nightmare Inspector would seem to be the stronger manga of the two, there’s enough about Yokai Rental Shop that interests me that I plan on continuing the short series.

Otomo: A Global Tribute to the Mind Behind Akira edited by Julien Brugeas and Ben Applegate. In 2015, Katsuhiro Otomo won the Angoulême International Comics Festival’s Grand Prix, a prestigious award recognizing comics creators for their lifetime achievements. As part of the celebration, an art exhibition showing work by creators from around the world in a tribute to Otomo was held. A limited-edition catalog of illustrations was also produced at that time, becoming the basis for the Otomo artbook. The English-language edition expands upon the original and includes contributions from more than eighty creatives, resulting in an attractive, oversized, 168-paged hardcover volume. Otomo is probably best known as the creator of Akira, so it isn’t too surprising that most of the artwork in Otomo make reference to either the anime or manga version of that story, but other works like Domu also provide a source of inspiration. There is a fantastic variety and a great range of styles represented in Otomo; some of the individual pieces are truly stunning. Accompanying each illustration is a short biography of the artist. Some also include a section in which the contributors write about their encounters with Otomo and his work. (I wish there were more of these.)

Juni Taisen: Zodiac War written by Nisiosin, illustrated by Hikaru Nakamura. My interest in the Juni Taisen novel largely stemmed from creators associated with it. Nisiosin seems to be something of a cult favorite and has had a fair number of stories translated recently (Juni Taisen is actually the first that I’ve read, however) and Nakamura is the creator of Saint Young Men and Arakawa Under the Bridge (it turns out Nakamura’s contributions to the novel are fairly limited). On top of having notable creators, the physical production and design of Viz Media’s release of Juni Taisen is beautiful. I have also been known to enjoy battle royale-type stories. Sadly, Juni Taisen is rather unsatisfactory as a novel and comes across as superficial, though I suspect the related manga and anime will be more successful. Twelve characters, none of them particularly likeable, are brought together in a battle to the death known as the Zodiac War. The winner will be granted a single wish, although there’s an even greater purpose to the contest. Juni Taisen has potential. The various super powers and abilities of the characters result in tactics and strategies that are interesting and even clever. Unfortunately, the coolness factor is undermined by inconsistent logic, repetitiveness, predictable narrative developments, and a sore lack of worldbuilding and a meaningful context.

Manga the Week of 11/8/17

November 2, 2017 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Anna N and Michelle Smith Leave a Comment

SEAN: The frost is on the pumpkin and nothing’s stopping the manga.

From this week, solicited too late for last week’s list, Kodansha Digital have PTSD Radio, a horror anthology that looks creepy. There may also have been one or two ongoing series I missed – I’m starting to get jaded. Give me more lag time!

For next week, Cross Infinite World has another light novel debut, as they bring us Yusen Ruten: An Era of Red. I sadly know little about it.

Dark Horse has a 4th Blade of the Immortal omnibus.

ASH: Blade of the Immortal was one of my very first manga series; I’m glad that Dark Horse has found a way to keep it in print.

SEAN: Kodansha still has Del Rey rescues, with Pumpkin Scissors 15 and Yozakura Quartet 18.

In new digital titles, we get a sixth Ace of the Diamond, a 6th Real Girl, and most importantly, a 6th The Full-Time Wife Escapist.

ANNA: I need to get caught up on Full-Time Wife Escapist! Such a fun and quirky series.

MICHELLE: Yay! I was starting to get Full-Time Wife Escapist withdrawal.

SEAN: There’s also a 4th Descending Stories, which may finally end its flashback.

ASH: Planning on picking this one up!

SEAN: And Ghost in the Shell README: 1995-2017, a hardcover detailing the history of the franchise.

Seven Seas has a 4th Dreamin’ Sun, and a 7th Testament of Sister New Devil. Don’t get them mixed up.

MICHELLE: Dreamin’ Sun is enjoyable!

SEAN: Udon debuts Dragon’s Crown, based on a game and running in Kadokawa’s Comptiq magazine. If you’ve seen the fantasy RPG manga that have been commonplace lately, you’ve seen this.

Vertical has hit double digits for Cardfight!! Vanguard.

Viz has a lot, though 3 titles got delayed due to a warehouse fire. Look for them at the end of the month. So we start with Black Clover, which I enjoy despite its anti-originality.

ASH: Maybe I’ll finally give Black Clover a try while I wait a few weeks for my dose of Shojo Beat titles to arrive.

SEAN: Bleach 3-in-1 reaches Vol. 21. Will it catch up with the main series before it ends?

It’s gonna be close, here’s Bleach 71 as well.

Haikyu!! 17 will feature… volleyball!

ANNA: WHAT!?

MICHELLE: Who could imagine?

ASH: Incredible!

SEAN: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure continues its road movie with a 5th Stardust Crusaders.

ANNA: Another series I am criminally far behind on.

ASH: I’ve already read Stardust Crusaders, but the new hardcover release is so nice I can’t help but double-dip.

SEAN: My Hero Academia hits Vol. 10, and should begin speeding up in the spring due to increased demand.

We are ALMOST done with Nisekoi, as its 24th volume tries to play up the “which one will he choose” one last time, even though it’s obvious.

One Piece 84 may be a very tasty volume! If nothing else, it will make you want sweets.

Seraph of the End hits lucky 13!

ANNA: Vampires woo-hoo!!!!!!

SEAN: Toriko is nearly done, but not quite, even as it gets to the big 4-0.

And everyone loves Yu-Gi-Oh! omnibuses. Here’s the 12th.

Think we’re done? Think again! Yen has its run-off from last week, starting with the 7th Aoharu x Machinegun.

Erased is in omnibus format, meaning I’m further behind than I thought. Here’s the 3rd omnibus.

ASH: The last volume was gripping; I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes.

SEAN: And a 4th Murcielago should appeal to Maria-sama Ga Miteru fans, so I hear… provided they’re also into gore and twisted unlikeable people.

ASH: That sounds about right.

SEAN: Prison School has an 8th omnibus out. Ash, you still reading this?

ASH: … I am behind, but yes, yes I am.

SEAN: Puella Magica Oriko Magica has a 3rd Sadness Prayer, and… they must be running out of spinoffs soon, right?

Scum’s Wish 5 will make me feel filthy and awful, and I can’t wait.

MICHELLE: I have fallen a few volumes behind on this, but I worry a marathon might cause an overdose of sordid.

SEAN: Spice & Wolf gets a 14th manga volume.

And we’re up to the 8th Taboo Tattoo.

Lastly, there’s a 4th Twinkle Stars omnibus. I seem to recall the series had an odd number of volumes. Where will it end?

MICHELLE: Yay!

ASH: I need to catch up, but I really enjoyed the first two omnibuses.

SEAN: And so another huge week comes to a close. Do you know where your manga is?

Manga the Week of 11/1/17

October 26, 2017 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, MJ and Ash Brown 3 Comments

SEAN: (stares brokenly)

We’ll start off with the titles that are already out but were announced too late to be in last week’s column, which is unfortunately becoming a weekly occurrence. First off, Bookwalker debuts a new digital light novel, The Ryuo’s Work Is Never Done! This is a very popular series in Japan about a teenage shogi master who takes an elementary school girl as his apprentice. The prologue is jaw-droppingly appalling, but I am hoping for the best? Maybe?

MICHELLE: I thought I might check this out for a moment before I read some of the preview.

SEAN: Kodansha also has its digital horror debut, I Want to Hold Aono-kun So Badly I Could Die. Despite the title, not based on a light novel. It runs in Afternoon.

MICHELLE: I find this kind of intriguing, actually. It doesn’t appear gory, at least.

SEAN: Now on to next week, and it’s a killer week even based on the experience of previous killer weeks. Dark Horse gives us yet another Hatsune Miku manga spinoff with Future Delivery.

Drawn & Quarterly delights us with another Kitaro volume, Kitaro’s Strange Adventures.

ASH: Yes! I’m always looking forward to more Kitaro.

SEAN: J-Novel Club has *five* novels debuting next week, which I think may be a record for them. We have Clockwork Planet 2, Demon King Daimaou 3, Infinite Dendrogram 3, Invaders of the Rokujouma!? 7.5 (no, you’re reading that right, there’s a reason for the .5), and Paying to Win in a VRMMO 5. Phew!

Kodansha also has a GIANT PILE of digital coming out. In addition to whatever new horror title they debut next week, we have All Out!! 2 (more rugby!), Beauty Bunny 2, Black Panther and Sweet 16 3, DAYS 6, DEATHTOPIA 5, Drowning Love 3, Love’s Reach 4, and Peach Heaven 8. More titles to get behind on!

MICHELLE: Dang! I’m definitely keen on several of those.

ASH: It’s great that so much digital is being released these days, but it’s so easy to loose track of what is being released (and when, apparently).

SEAN: In print, the big release next week is the Akira 35th Anniversary Box Set. If you want a new, huge, handsome version of Akira, this is the title for you. Do Millennials remember Akira?

MICHELLE: Random note: years before it became a fandom word, there was a panel of a rat in Akira who had the dialogue, “Squee.”

MJ: That rat was ahead of its time.

SEAN: Animal Land has its 2nd to last volume (13)! The last one is not yet scheduled because, well, y’know, Animal Land. But yay anyway!

ASH: I will be glad if we can actually make it to the end! The series ended up really growing on me.

SEAN: Fairy Tail has a 5th volume of its Master’s Edition, which tries to impress next to Akira’s box set but sadly comes in second. Which, well, Fairy Tail should be used to.

ASH: Ha! This probably is the edition to get for anyone starting to collect the series, though.

SEAN: Kigurumi Guardians gets a 2nd volume. The first was very… strange. I wonder what direction it will go.

MICHELLE: I need to read these!

SEAN: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime also has a 2nd manga volume, as we wait for December to see the light novel.

ASH: I found the first volume surprisingly entertaining.

SEAN: The big debut from Kodansha is To Your Eternity, the new series from the author of A Silent Voice. I’m hoping for big things! It runs in Weekly Shonen Magazine, and is far more supernatural than her prior series.

MICHELLE: Ooh.

ASH: I am definitely looking forward to this one. The artwork is beautiful and the story devastating, from what I’ve heard.

MJ: Well, that sounds pretty interesting.

SEAN: Seven Seas has the first of its releases in the Devilman franchise with Devilman Grimoire. This remake of Devilman ran in Champion Red Ichigo, and all I can tell you is try not to get too attached to the characters.

ASH: That seems to be fair advice.

SEAN: There’s another omnibus of Freezing, containing Vols. 17-18..

The Girl from the Other Side: Siuil A Run has a 3rd volume of vaguely heartwarming, vaguely disquieting beauty.

MICHELLE: I am looking forward to this very, very much.

ASH: Same. The Girl from the Other Side is a tremendous series.

SEAN: Seven Seas’ big release next week (sorry, Devilman) is In This Corner of the World which is coming out as one big omnibus. Old-timers may recall that J-Manga released some of this series digitally, but here it is in print. It ran in Futabasha’s Manga Action, and is from the creator of Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms.

ASH: I’m planning on picking this one up. I actually still need to see the anime adaptation, too.

SEAN: Speaking of omnibuses, Vertical Comics has the first in their omnibus re-release of The Flowers of Evil.

And now it’s time for Yen. Amusingly, this list was originally larger – some titles are delayed due to shipping issues with the recent storms, and so be prepared for a pile of Yen every week for the next few weeks. This is a REALLY big pile even so, though.

Digital? We have you covered. There’s Corpse Princess 13 and Saki 12. There are also digital editions of Accel World and The Irregular at Magic High School’s light novels, being released in chunks to catch up ASAP. We get Accel World 1-4 and Mahouka 1-2.

On the light novel front, Yen On debuts a new series, The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria. This is somewhat unique as, like Psycome, it does not seem to have a manga or anime attached to it but was licensed anyway. It seems to involve time loops – which we know Western fans LOVE after Endless Eight.

ASH: Say that again?

SEAN: On the light novel front, Yen On debuts a new series, The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria. This is somewhat unique as, like Psycome, it does not seem to have a manga or anime attached to it but was licensed anyway. It seems to involve time loops – which we know Western fans LOVE after Endless Eight.

There’s also a 4th DanMachi: Sword Oratoria, 9th Log Horizon, 5th (and penultimate) Psycome, and 5th Re: Zero.

Debuts from Yen Press next week are Gabriel Dropout, a Dengeki Daioh comedy about Angels down on Earth, Hybrid x Heart Magias Academy Ataraxia (Masou Gakuen HxH), which is another very ecchi title set at a magical school, based on a light novel (which Yen doesn’t have). There’s also a new spinoff debuting with Danmachi: Sword Oratoria’s manga debuting.

Ending next week is The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan with its 10th volume. You can see what I said about this in my review here.

The rest we’ll divide into two: manga based on light novels and manga that is not. For the former, we have the 11th A Certain Magical Index; 2nd Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash; 4th Overlord; two Re: Zero volumes with the 3rd volume of the 2nd arc and the first volume of the 3rd arc; and the 4th in the Sword Art Online spinoff Girls’ Ops.

We also have a 12th Akame Ga KILL!, a 24th Black Butler, the 9th Horimiya, the 2nd Sekirei omnibus (in print), and the 14th Triage X.

MICHELLE: I’ll always appreciate more Horimiya!

ASH: It’s such a great series.

SEAN: And there is the 6th Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro, which I love so much it gets kudos away from the group.

Lastly, there’s another Soul Eater artbook, imaginatively called Soul Eater: Soul Art 2.

I compressed this list a lot, and it still looks long. And remember, Yen delayed 9 titles to the week after! What are you getting next week?

Manga Giveaway: Oresama Teacher Giveaway

October 25, 2017 by Ash Brown

The end of October is quickly approaching which means it’s time for another monthly giveaway at Experiments in Manga! For this month’s giveaway, everyone participating will have the chance to win Oresama Teacher, Volume 1 by Izumi Tsubaki as published in English by Viz Media. Oresama Teacher isn’t the newest series, but it is one that I recently started reading and quickly fell in love with. Since these giveaways are in part meant to help me spread my love of manga, it made since to me to include Oresama Teacher in the fun, too. Oh, and as usual, the giveaway is open worldwide!

I’m not sure exactly why it is, but I really enjoy manga about delinquents. There’s just something about ruffians with hearts of gold that warms my own heart. Granted, not all delinquents in manga are so benevolent, and some series can be quite brutal, but I tend to enjoy those as well. Whether a manga takes a more comedic or more dramatic approach the the pervasive delinquent character type there’s usually some sort of well-deserved ass-kicking involved which, in general, is something that I can appreciate. All that being said, I’m a little uncertain why it took me so long to give Oresama Teacher a try considering the prominence of delinquents and ex-delinquents in the story, but now that I have I am completely hooked. And I am completely okay with that.

So, you may be wondering, how can you win a copy of Oresama Teacher, Volume 1?

1) In the comments below, tell me a little about your favorite manga delinquent. (If you don’t have a favorite, or haven’t encountered any, simply mention that instead.)
2) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting, or retweeting, about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me).

It’s as easy as that. Giveaway participants can earn up to two entries and have one week to submit comments. If needed or preferred, comments can also be sent to phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com which I will then post here in your name. The giveaway winner will be randomly selected and announced on November 1, 2017. Best of luck to you all!

Contest winner announced–Manga Giveaway: Oresama Teacher Giveaway Winner

My Week in Manga: October 16-October 22, 2017

October 23, 2017 by Ash Brown

My News and Reviews

Well, it was a very quiet week at Experiments in Manga last week. I was hoping to post my review of the first omnibus of Takako Shimura’s Sweet Blue Flowers, but a variety of things came up–little dude’s preschool open house, helping family members with their cross-country move, spending most of a day on the road for an out-of-state taiko performance, to name just a few. But never fear! I’ll almost certainly be posting the review later this week instead. I haven’t been online much recently either, but I did catch a couple of thing of interest last week. The first was an announcement from Dark Horse, which will be releasing Kentaro Miura’s official Berserk guidebook in March of next year. The second was Brigid Alverson’s discussion with Akira Himekawa, the two-person creative team behind most of the manga adaptations of The Legend of Zelda.

Quick Takes

Goodnight Punpun, Omnibus 6-7 (equivalent to Volumes 11-13) by Inio Asano. It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve read the fifth omnibus of Goodnight Punpun, but in reality it’s only been a few months. Perhaps it seems so long since Goodnight Punpun can be such a hard-hitting, exhausting experience which requires time to fully recover between volumes. (At least, that tends to be the case for me.) Goodnight Punpun is a surreal and extremely dark coming-of-age story. The series is intense, easily earning its explicit content warning with the manga’s portrayal of emotional, psychological, and physical violence. But while much of Goodnight Punpun is incredibly bleak, there are also moments of hope. Granted, that hope can also be extremely painful. Goodnight Punpun worked best for me when it was exploring the inner turmoil of its titular protagonist. I was actually frequently reminded of Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human as the series approached its conclusion. The manga’s second major plot involving the cult wasn’t nearly as compelling or convincing, coming across as superfluous and tangential to me. But having now reached the end of Goodnight Punpun, I find that I want to read it again. The manga has multiple layers to it and I’m fairly certain there are elements that I either missed entirely or didn’t fully appreciate my first time through the series.

Waiting for Spring, Volume 1 by Anashin. Although the basic premise of Waiting for Spring makes it seem like the manga’s setup could easily slip into a reverse harem territory, after reading the first volume I don’t think that’s the direction Anashin will be taking with the series. However, it does still look like there will be at least some romantic rivalry involved. If there’s one thing that Mitsuki wants from high school, it’s to finally make some friends. She’s having a difficult time of it, though. The other young women in her class aren’t really hostile towards her, but she hasn’t been able to really connect with them, either. But things start to change when she gets mixed up with and is unexpectedly befriended by the four stars of the men’s basketball team. In general, most of the relationships in Waiting for Spring are very well done. The blossoming romance between Mitsuki and one of the basketball players is very sweet, but I’m particularly enjoying the friendships in the first volume. Mitsuki treats all of the guys like they’re real people. She isn’t blinded by their good looks and athletic talent (though she can still appreciate them) and doesn’t hesitate to give them what for when needed. This is actually something of a novelty for them, but it’s what allows their friendships with her to naturally develop. The already well-established relationships between the four young men are also very entertaining.

Attack on Titan Adventure: Year 850: Last Stand at Wall Rose written by Tomoyuki Fujinami and illustrated by Ryosuke Fuji and Toru Yoshii. Growing up, I was a huge fan of the Choose Your Own Adventure series and other types of gamebooks. (I’ve even held onto a few particularly well-loved volumes from my youth.) And so I was very curious about Last Stand at Wall Rose, an interactive novel set during the Battle of Trost which takes place early on in Hajime Isayama’s original Attack on Titan manga. The mechanics of Last Stand at Wall Rose are interesting, incorporating elements of roleplaying games. Since I’m used to standard branching-plot stories, the book wasn’t as linear as I was expecting and in some ways was even more interactive than I thought it would be. Keeping pencil and paper nearby while reading can be very useful. Last Stand at Wall Rose was fun, but I did find some of the formatting and gameplay to be annoying. The most egregious issue was the amount of unnecessary flipping of pages which made the narrative more disjointed than it otherwise would have been. I also almost wish that page numbers hadn’t been included since the novel’s navigation is based on a system of independently numbered story sections rather than pages. (Also of note: Readers of the first printing of Last Stand at Wall Rose will want to refer to the errata posted online.)