MangaBlog

VIZ announced two new acquisitions: Kyousuke Motomi’s QQ Sweeper, and Arina Tanemura’s Idol Dreams. Both manga will be published under the Shojo Beat imprint, and will debut in fall 2015.

Speaking of new licenses, Crunchyroll just added Persona Q Shadow of the Labyrinth: Side P4 to its manga line-up.

Never underestimate a ninja’s powers: volume 68 of Naruto ranked fifth on the Nielsen BookScan Graphic Novel Chart for January 2015. Other manga making the top 20 included the first volume of Attack on Titan and the omnibus of All You Need Is Kill.

Johanna Draper Carlson breaks down the numbers for DMP’s latest Kickstarter campaigns.

Erica Friedman compiles the latest yuri news from around the web.

Over at Nagareboshi Reviews, Sarah compares Soul Eater with its prequel Soul Eater NOT!

Ash Brown catalogs his January manga acquisitions, then posts some brief reviews.

Manga expert Helen McCarthy offers a sneak peak at her latest publication, How to Draw Manga Made Easy, due out in April.

Don’t click on an empty stomach! Ed Chavez shares some mouth-watering photos from the official What Did You Eat Yesterday? blog. Also at the Vertical Tumblr: a candid Q&A session about licenses, sales, and beer pairings (!) for shonen, josei, gekiga, and cat manga. Click here for part one; click here for part two.

What’s it like to work for Crunchyroll? Justin Stroman interviews software engineer Evan Minto about his transition from manga blogger to industry insider.

Police in Burrell, PA are investigating a fifth grade student for posting a Death Note-inspired message inside Stewart Elementary School last week. Local media outlet WPXI reports that the school has notified the parents of the six boys listed on the so-called “death note,” and is taking additional measures to address the situation. According to Anime News Network, this incident marks the seventh time that an American student has faced disciplinary action for imitating the hero’s actions in Death Note.

News from Japan: Katsumasa Enokiya’s Hibi Rock and Satol Yuige’s Ku – Neuntöte Vampire are wrapping in February and April, respectively. The final chapter of You Higuri’s Gakuen Heaven: Double Scramble will appear in the March 7th issue of Monthly Magazine BExBOY.

To mark the release of the first volume of Tsubasa: World Chronicle, CLAMP has penned a bonus chapter for the February 17th edition of Shonen Magazine.

Shojo manga-ka Io Sakisaka is having a busy year: in addition to writing an epilogue for the now-completed Strobe Edge, she’s also at work on a new series for Bessatsu Margaret. Look for the first chapter in the July issue.

Kazuma Kamaichi’s popular Heavy Object novels are getting the manga treatment again; look for Heavy Object A (Ace) in the February 27th issue of Dengeki Maoh. Million Doll, a manga about an idol otaku, is being adapted for television by Asahi Production for a July premiere.

Reviews: Put on your scuba gear–Shaenon Garrity devotes the latest House of 1000 Manga column to Daisuke Igarashi’s atmospheric Children of the Sea. Over at Okazu, Erica Friedman reviews Whispered Words, an all-too-rare example of yuri in English.

Sheena McNeil on vol. 13 of 07-Ghost (Sequential Tart)
Nic Wilcox on vols. 1-2 of Alice in the Country of Hearts: The Mad Hatter’s Late-Night Tea Party (No Flying No Tights)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 7 of Deadman Wonderland (Comic Book Bin)
Alice Vernon on vol. 1 of Dorohedoro (Girls Like Comics)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 4 of Food Wars! (Comic Book Bin)
Nick Creamer on vol. 2 of Genshinken: Second Season (ANN)
Erica Friedman on vol. 1 of Hakugin no Gymnasium (Okazu)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 10 of Happy Marriage?! (Comic Book Bin)
A Library Girl on The History of the West Wing (A Library Girl’s Familiar Diversions)
Kory Cerjak on vol. 1 of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Phantom Blood: Part One (The Fandom Post)
Sheena McNeil on vol. 16 of Kamisama Kiss (Sequential Tart)
ebooksgirl on vol. 1 of My Neighbor Seki (Geek Lit Etc.)
Sheena McNeil on vol. 6 of Nisekoi: False Love (Sequential Tart)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 9 of No. 6 (ANN)
Matthew Warner on vol. 73 of One Piece (The Fandom Post)
Kayleigh Hearn on Sakuran (Deadshirt)
Josh Begley on vol. 5 of Vinland Saga (The Fandom Post)
Julia Smith on vol. 1 of Witchcraft Works (The Fandom Post)

In a recent poll, Japanese retailer Honya Club asked bookstore workers, “What manga should we read in 2015?” Topping the list of recommendations was The Ancient Magus’ Bride (which has been licensed by Seven Seas) and My Hero Academia. On the strength of the cover art alone, I’d love to see Takadaike no Hitobito licensed:

Is the end in sight for Golgo 13? Creator Taiko Saito has hinted that his long-running adventure series is entering the home stretch. Golgo 13‘s first chapter debuted in 1968–47 years ago!

Otaku USA interviews Patrick Macias about Hypersonic Music Club, a joint collaboration between Macias and Japanese illustrator Hiroyuki Takahashi.

Scott Green previews Happiness, a horror manga from the creator of Flowers of Evil.

Alenka Figa lists five anime and manga with solid, nuanced queer characters.

And speaking of queer manga, the Huffington Post interviews Graham Kolbeins about Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It.

Wondering how to discover great new manga? Justin Stroman posts a comprehensive guide to the US manga market.

Heart of Manga host Laura M. lists the current serializations in YOU, a josei magazine for older female readers.

The Manga Bookshelf crew discuss next week’s new manga.

VIZ just announced two more digital license rescues from the CLAMP catalog: The One I Love, an anthology of short stories, and Wish, a four-volume series about a man who rescues an angel from a tree.

Stop the presses–Attack on Titan has been bumped from this week’s New York Times Manga Best Seller list by Akame Ga Kill!, Soul Eater, and Black Butler.

Reviews: If you haven’t subscribed to Sparkler Magazine, MJ’s enthusiastic review of The Ring of Saturn might just persuade you to give it a try. MJalso joined fellow MB bloggers Sean Gaffney and Anna N. in compiling this week’s Bookshelf Briefs.

Kate O’Neil on vol. 10 of Afterschool Charisma (The Fandom Post)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 2 of Assassination Classroom (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Ash Brown on vol. 2 of Attack on Titan: Junior High Omnibus (Experiments in Manga)
Anna N. on vol. 3 of Black Rose Alice (Manga Report)
Megan R. on Boys Over Flowers (The Manga Test Drive)
Lori Henderson on vols. 43-44, 46-47 of Case Closed (Manga Xanadu)
Nick Smith on vol. 1 of Drug & Drop (ICv2)
James on Golgo 13 (Kotaku)
Ken H. on vol. 7 of From the New World (Sequential Ink)
Jocelyn Allen on How Are You? (Brain vs. Book)
Alex Hoffman on In Clothes Called Fat and Pink (Sequential State)
Nick Smith on Jaco the Galactic Patrolman (ICv2)
Anna N. on vol. 1 of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part One: Phantom Blood (Manga Report)
Helen on vols. 1-3 of Millennium Snow (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Laura on Pearl Pink (Heart of Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 9 of Umineko: When They Cry (A Case Suitable for Treatment)

Katsuhiro Otomo (AKIRA, Domu: A Child’s Dream) just won the Grand Prix at the 42nd annual Festival d’Angoulême, beating out Watchman creator Alan Moore for the honor.

You spoke, they listened: DMP just announced a Kickstarter campaign to publish Osamu Tezuka’s Alabaster, a dark thriller about an invisible man on a crime spree.

The Manga Bookshelf bloggers discuss next week’s new manga releases, from Black Rose Alice to Blood Blockade Battlefront.

Ash Brown is giving away a copy of Junko Mizuno’s Cinderalla. 

The folks at Good E-Reader offer a side-by-side comparison of VIZ and Crunchyroll’s digital manga offerings.

British GQ compiled a list of ten manga that would make great movies.

Tom Pinchuk and Sam Weller announce the results of Anime Vice’s annual Best Manga Poll.

Over at Good, OK, Bad, Seth Hahne lists the 75 Best Comics of 2014, from Summit of the Gods to Stray Bullets.

Can’t get enough of Attack on Titan? Universal Studios Japan recently installed an attraction that allows visitors to pose with statues of hungry giants:

News from Japan: Good news for Takehiko Inoue fans: after a one-year hiatus, Inoue is back at work on Vagabond. Also returning from hiatus is Masayuki Kusumi and Jiro Taniguchi’s foodie favorite Kodoku no Gourmet.

To mark the tenth anniversary of Weekly Shonen Jump, Shuiesha will be unveiling four new series this month, including a new title by Psyren creator Toshiaki Iwashiro.

Reviews: Jason Thompson sings the praises of Cat Paradise, a forgotten gem from the Yen Press catalog, while Tony Yao examines the subtext of Kiss Him, Not Me, a shojo comedy about a fujoshi who ‘ships her male classmates.

Joseph Luster on vol. 1 of Assassination Classroom (Otaku USA)
Megan R. on Chobits (The Manga Test Drive)
Wolfen Moondaughter on vol. 25 of Hayate the Combat Butler (Sequential Tart)
Leroy Douresseaux on Jaco the Galactic Patrolman (Comic Book Bin)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 1: Phantom Blood (ANN)
Matthew Alexander on vol. 5 of Judge (The Fandom Post)
Angela Silvia on vol. 16 of Kamisama Kiss (The Fandom Post)
Allen Kesinger on vol. 1 of Love in Hell (No Flying No Tights)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 1 of Meteor Prince (Comic Book Bin)
Joseph Luster on vol. 1 of My Neighbor Seki (Otaku USA)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 7 of Nisekoi: False Love (ANN)
Theron Martin on vol. 1 of Sword Art Online: Progressive (ANN)
Ken H. on vol. 5 of Vinland Saga (Sequential Ink)

Big news! Viz is publishing a new, full-color edition of Shotaro Ishinomori’s Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past manga in its Perfect Square imprint. The story was originally published in Game Power magazine in 1992, and a trade was published the following year.

More Viz news: They will be publishing Yu-Gi-Oh! in 3-in-1 omnibus format.

Also riding the omnibus: Dark Horse, which will re-release the earlier volumes of Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service in as 2-in-1 omnibuses.

Crunchyroll is launching a new line of original manga, and they are starting with HYPERSONIC music club, a collaboration between Patrick Macias and Hiroyuki Takahashi. I talked to Macias about the book, and the new line, at Robot 6, and Takahashi did an interview with Crunchyroll.

Shonen Jump is offering the latest issues for free through February 15; if you haven’t been following it and are thinking of jumping in during this trial period, check out my quick guide to SJ series at Robot 6.

Shonen Jump has also added a new series to the lineup: My Hero Academia, which will run simultaneously with the Japanese releases.

The Manga Bookshelf team discusses their Pick of the Week.

Erica Friedman has the latest from the world of yuri in this week’s Yuri Network News post at Okazu.

Ash Brown takes a look at the work of Mitsukazu Mihara as part of the Female Goth Mangaka Carnival.

Two cosplayers learned the hard way that it’s better to put on your costume when you get to the con, at least if you’re wearing camouflage and carrying what looks like a gun. This incident occurred in Gatineau, Quebec, which is quite near the capital of Ottawa, where last year a lone gunman attacked the national parliament. The two cosplayers were arrested but not held; they were also fined $270 and their replica weapons were taken away.

Reviews: Sean Gaffney and Michelle Smith post some short takes on recent releases in the latest edition of Bookshelf Briefs at Manga Bookshelf. Ash Brown takes us through a week’s worth of manga reading at Experiments in Manga.

Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Akame Ga Kill! (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Lesey Aeschliman on vol. 8 of Attack on Titan (Lesley’s Musings on Manga)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Citrus (ANN)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 14 of Dengeki Daisy (The Comic Book Bin)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 24 of D.Gray-Man (The Comic Book Bin)
Chris Kirby on vol. 3 of Durarara!! Saika Arc (The Fandom Post)
Kate O’Neil on vol. 4 of Gangsta (The Fandom Post)
Erin on Helter Skelter: Fashion Unfriendly (Gagging on Sexism)
Ken H on vol. 12 of Knights of Sidonia (Sequential Ink)
Chris Kirby on vol. 16 of Tegami Bachi (The Fandom Post)
Alice Vernon on Ubel Blatt (Girls Like Comics)
Matthew Warner on vol. 3 of World Trigger (The Fandom Post)
Jocelyne Allen on Yoru Mata Yoru No Fukai Yoru (Brain Vs. Book)
Erica Friedman on vol. 1 of Yuri Kuma Arashi (Okazu)

Coming soon to the NHK: the first episode of Rin-ne, which will air on April 4th. Rin-ne is Rumiko Takahashi’s eighth series to be adapted for television.

French filmmakers announced plans to bring Jiro Taniguchi’s Everest drama Summit of the Gods to the big screen.

The latest installment of Finder bumps Unofficial Hatsune Mix and Attack on Titan from the top of this week’s New York Times Manga Bestseller list. Other titles posting strong numbers include Assassination Classroom, Nisekoi: False Love, and The Seven Deadly Sins.

What’s arriving in comic book stores on January 28th? The Manga Bookshelf team highlights next week’s new releases.

To celebrate Weekly Shonen Jump‘s third anniversary, Anime News Network is giving away cool swag. The deadline to enter is January 31st, so get clicking!

The Female Goth Mangaka Carnival is in full swing, with new contributions from Ash Brown, who explores the macabre world of Mitsukazu Mihara, and Michelle, who celebrates the unique artistry of Junko Mizuno.

News from Japan: Oricon reports that the Japanese manga market grew 4% in 2014, posting total sales of 282 billion yen (roughly $2.4 billion).

Reviews: J-Horror alert: Toshi Nakamura sings the praises of Kouisho Radio, a collection of short stories not yet available in English, while Shaenon Garrity looks at Kazuo Umezu’s funny-scary classic Cat-Eyed Boy.

Lori Henderson on vol. 19 of Bakuman (Manga Xanadu)
Ken H. on vols. 5-6 of Brave 10 (Sequential Ink)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 26 of Full Metal Alchemist (Lesley’s Musings on Anime & Manga)
Sakura Eries on vol. 1 of Kiss of the Rose Princess (The Fandom Post)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 27 of Naruto (Lesley’s Musings on Anime & Manga)
Megan R. on The One I Love (The Manga Test Drive)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 3 of Say I Love You (Lesley’s Musings on Anime & Manga)
Chris Kirby on vol. 3 of Sunny (The Fandom Post)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Sword Art Online: Progressive Manga (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Leroy Doresseaux on vol. 4 of Terra Formars (Comic Book Bin)
Lori Henderson on vols. 1-2 of Tiger and Bunny (Good Comics for Kids)
Michelle Smith and MJ on Yukarism, Kiss of the Rose Princess, and What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Manga Bookshelf)

Big news! Marvel will offer the Marvel/Attack on Titan crossover as part of its Free Comic Book Day comic Secret Wars #0. The crossover, which was a one-shot story in Brutus magazine, was plotted by Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama, with dialogue in English, and features the Avengers fighting the Female Titan, the Colossal Titan, and others.

More big news: Weekly Shonen Jump is free through February 15.

At Okazu, Erica Friedman interviews Helen McCarthy, author of The Anime Encyclopedia. Erica also updates us on some new and upcoming yuri releases in her latest Yuri Network News post at Okazu.

The Manga Bookshelf bloggers discuss their Pick of the Week, with a significant skew toward manhwa.

Laura looks at what’s running in the josei magazine Kiss—and which of those series she would like to see in English—at Heart of Manga.

The first round of nominations for the Manga Taisho awards has been announced; only one of the 14 titles, The Ancient Magus’s Bride, has been licensed in North America.

News from Japan: Writer Kazumasa Hirai, creator of Genma Taisen, 8 Man, Zombie Hunter, and Wolf Guy, and a contributor to the Spider-Man manga, has died. Nakaba Suzuki, creator of The Seven Deadly Sins, told Entermix magazine that Chapter 100 is the end of the first of three planned story arcs; the magazine also noted that sales of the series, which is up to volume 12 in Japan, have reached 10 million volumes. Linebarrels of Iron has entered its final arc. The Kuroko’s Basketball -Replace- novel series will be adapted into manga for the digital Shonen Jump+ magazine.

Reviews: At Brain Vs. Book, Jocelyne Allen reads Ever After, a book of BL-ified fairy tales by est em (only one of which is available in English). Ash Brown’s Week of Manga includes quick takes on vol. 1 of Ane-Imo, vol. 2 of Manga Dogs, and vols. 1 and 2 of Witchcraft Works, as well as links to longer reviews.

Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 10 of Afterschool Charisma (The Comic Book Bin)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 20 of Arata: The Legend (The Comic Book Bin)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 43 of Fairy Tail (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 5 of Genshiken: Second Season (AstroNerdBoy’s Anime and Manga Blog)
Helen on Joshi Kausei (Organization Anti Social Geniuses)
Anna N on vol. 1 of Master Keaton (Manga Report)
Matthew Alexander on vol. 9 of Ooku: The Inner Chambers (The Fandom Post)
Sean Gaffney on vols. 11 and 12 of Ranma 1/2 (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Ken H. on vol. 3 of The Seven Deadly Sins (Sequential Ink)
Drew McCabe on vol. 1 of Sgt. Frog (Comic Attack)
Drew McCabe on Shion of the Dead (Comic Attack)
Erica Friedman on vol. 10 of Usotsuki Lily (Okazu)
Sarah on vol. 3 of Voice Over! Seiyu Academy (nagareboshi reviews)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 3 of Whispered Words (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Sakura Eries on vol. 1 of Yukarism (The Fandom Post)

If the phrase “manga Star Wars” is music to your ears, you’ll be happy to learn that ComiXology has just reissued manga adaptations of the original trilogy and The Phantom Menace. (Hey, the manga’s gotta be better than Episode One, right?)

According to the Yano Research Institute, manga accounted for almost 80% of the overall digital book market in Japan last year.

Diamond Comics just released its annual sales rankings. Not surprisingly, Attack on Titan dominated the list of 2014’s best-selling manga, along with such perennial favorites as Bleach, Naruto, and Yu-Gi-Oh.

Vertical Comics just confirmed that it will be publishing Hajime Segawa’s Tokyo ESP, which is currently running in the pages of Monthly Shonen Ace. Look for the first volume in fall 2015.

Erica Friedman posts a eulogy for the short-lived Waai! magazine, which featured stories and manga about “Otoko no ko,” boys who dress as girls.

Justin Stroman offers ten bold predictions for the manga publishing industry in 2015.

Good news for digital manga enthusiasts: Crunchyroll’s premium membership now includes access to its growing manga library.

News from Japan: To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Appleseed‘s original publication, Book Walker and Amazon JP are releasing a new digital edition of Masamune Shirow’s debut work.

Hiro Mashima will publish a new full-color story for Monthly Fairy Tail magazine; look for “Aoneko Happy” (Happy the Blue Cat) in the February 17th edition.

After a bout with serious illness, manga-ka Tite Kubo told fans that Bleach will be on a brief hiatus; no new chapter will appear in the January 19th edition of Weekly Shonen Jump.

Reviews: What should you be reading on Crunchyroll? Jason Thompson investigates. Over at The Comics Journal, Joe McCulloch looks at the latest manga by Suehiro Maruo. Needless to say, some of the images are NSFW, no matter how chill your office may be.

Alice Vernon on vols. 1-3 of Bloody Cross (Girls Like Comics)
Chris Kirby on vol. 24 of D.Gray-Man (The Fandom Post)
Alice Vernon on vols. 1-2 of Durarara!! Yellow Scarves Arc (Girls Like Comics)
Sheena McNeil on vol. 4 of Gangsta (Sequential Tart)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 9 of Happy Marriage?! (Comic Book Bin)
Leroy Douresseaux on Jaco the Galactic Patrolman (Comic Book Bin)
Joseph Luster on vol. 1 of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood (Otaku USA)
Sheena McNeil on vol. 1 of Kiss of the Rose Princess (Sequential Tart)
Anna N. on vol. 2 of Kiss of the Rose Princess (Manga Report)
Toshi Nakamura on The Literacy of Nana (Kotaku)
Sakura Eries on vol. 1 of Manga Dogs (The Fandom Post)
Thomas Maluck on The Manga Guide to Linear Algebra (No Flying No Tights)
Ash Brown on vol. 1 of Mushishi (Experiments in Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of My Neighbor Seki (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Ken H. on vol. 1 of My Neighbor Seki (Sequential Ink)
Ryotaro Aoki on vol. 14 of Neon Genesis Evangelion (Otaku USA)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 73 of One Piece (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Jessikah Chautin on vols. 1-5 of Puella Magi Kazumi Magica: The Innocent Malice (No Flying No Tights)
Phillip Anthony on vol. 2 of Skip Beat! 3-in-1 (Manga Bookshelf)
Matthew Warner on vol. 3 of Terraformars (The Fandom Post)
Sheena McNeil on vol. 24 of Toriko (Sequential Tart)
Lori Henderson on vol. 1 of Vinland Saga (Good Comics for Kids)
Matthew Warner on vol. 4 of What Did You Eat Yesterday? (The Fandom Post)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 6 of What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Manga Worth Reading)
Erica Friedman on Yuridori Midori (Okazu)

File this week’s Bookmarked! column under the heading Better Late Than Never. Brigid and I sat down this week to review our favorite manga of 2014, from swashbuckling Viking sagas to goofy shojo comedies. We also chatted about the series we thought we’d love but didn’t, and looked ahead to potential candidates for the Best Manga of 2015.

Brigid: When I was compiling my best of the year list for Robot 6, I mentioned three manga—Kyoko Okazaki’s Helter Skelter, Moyoco Anno’s In Clothes Called Fat, and Inio Asano’s Nijigahara Holograph—but I’m smacking my head because I somehow spaced on Vinland Saga. Even though Kodansha Comics has temporarily put the series on hold, it’s well worth a read. It’s a really well done story with a complex plot—lots of double-crosses and surprises—and some interesting characters. It’s also beautifully drawn, and Kodansha Comics has gone the extra mile in terms of production quality, with double-size hardback volumes and some little touches that make it feel really special. I simply disappeared into these books over the Fourth of July, and now I want to go back and read all the way through Volume Five.

Kate, what was your standout pick for the year?

Kate: I’m also a Moyocco Anno fan, though I preferred Memoirs of Amorous Gentleman. I found Anno’s depiction of Colette, the prostitute-heroine of Memoirs, less mean-spirited than her depiction of Noko, the binge-eating heroine of In Clothes Called Fat; when I read Noko’s story, I had a difficult time distinguishing the author’s feelings about Noko from the other characters’. The other reason I liked Memoirs better: the artwork! The story takes place in a fin-de-siecle brothel in Paris, which provides Anno with a swell excuse to draw extravagant clothing, accessories, and lingerie. Her attention to detail doesn’t end with the clothing, either; the character designs are more soft and sensual than in her earlier series like Flowers & Bees.

Other titles making my best-of list would include Batman: The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga, which DC Comics has presented in a smart-looking, unflipped edition; Master Keaton, an older Naoki Urasawa title about a globe-trotting, crime-solving insurance agent; My Love Story!!, a goofy shojo comedy that offers a teenage boy’s perspective on first love; and OPUS, a manga-within-a-manga by the late animator Satoshi Kon. Honorable mention goes to the final volume of Thermae Romae, which managed to wring a surprising amount of story from a slender premise.

If you could only pick one of the titles from your list as “the best manga of 2014,” which one would it be?

Brigid: I think Vinland Saga truly was the best manga of the year, but let me go back to your honorable mention of Thermae Romae. It’s hard to give that the best-manga tag, because the art is a bit odd and the story wobbled all over the place, yet there’s something really wonderful about that manga. I think it reflects our own reality in a way, because just like Lucius, we are taking artifacts from Japanese culture and making them our own—only for us, it’s manga, not bathrooms. I thought this was an amazing series and kudos to Yen Press for publishing it in such a beautiful edition.

Attack on Titan hardly needs a boost from me, but I have to say it was one of the series I turned to when I just wanted to relax and enjoy a good story. I also really liked Nisekoi in the same way—it’s not deep, just a fun read.

Were there any series you were reading just for fun?

Kate: VIZ tends to be my go-to label for fun series. I already mentioned My Love Story!!, which usually makes me laugh out loud, but I also enjoyed the first volume of Assassination Classroom. I won’t make any grand claims for Classroom; the story has a sentimental streak a mile wide, even though the premise is subversive. Koro-sensei’s preposterous assignments, dedication to his craft, and super-human grading skills, however, provide a reliable stream of chuckles even when the author loses his nerve and goes for the “awwww” moment instead of risking offense.

Another series in my “just for fun” pile was Naoki Urasawa’s Monster. When VIZ began reissuing Monster last year, I dusted off my old set and revisited it for the first time since 2008. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the series was almost as good as I remembered. The crack pacing and twisty plots held my attention, as did the plight of the enormous cast of supporting characters. (And oh, those characters! No one draws a nose, a brow, or a paunch with the same elan as Urasawa.) The only thing that disappointed was the ending, which felt more suitable for an episode of Scooby-Doo than the conclusion of a thriller exploring the underbelly of the former Soviet bloc.

I was certain that Fumi Yoshinaga’s What Did You Eat Yesterday? would be on my “fun” list, too, but I’ve found it oddly unengaging. The problem, for me, lies with the ratio of interpersonal to culinary shoptalk. Though Shiro and Kenji’s travails as a middle-aged couple are compelling, the endless panels of recipes, food preparation, and grocery shopping are too run-of-the-mill to hold my attention, even if some of the ingredients are exotic from an American’s perspective. I liken it to reading a manga about household chores: unless the character has a talking robot vacuum cleaner or uses depth charges to clear a messy bedroom, it’s hard to make such routine tasks interesting on the printed page.

What series didn’t live up to your expectations?

Brigid: Shockingly, Naoki Urasawa’s Master Keaton. I really loved his other series (although I agree with you about the end of Monster), so I was really looking forward to this one. The setup is great: The main character is an archaeology professor who moonlights as an insurance investigator, which gives him plenty of excuses to solve mysteries, but the plots have holes you could drive a Mack truck through. Still, Urasawa on his worst day is better than most other creators on their best. His art is great, although not quite as sophisticated as in his later books, and his lead character, who is sort of a combination of Sherlock Holmes and McGyver, is fun to watch.

Another manga that I felt was solid but didn’t quite live up to its hype was Barakamon. The premise is solid: A talented calligrapher punches the wrong guy and exiles himself to a remote island to hone his craft in solitude, but the locals keep intruding into his life. The city-boy-in-the-country humor works, and Satsuki Yoshino does a nice job of establishing a sense of atmosphere with the backgrounds and settings. The weak point was the way figures were drawn—they often looked like piles of clothes with no structure underneath. Also, while I understand the decision to have the locals speak in dialect, I don’t really agree with it. It makes the story hard to read. I think this series is just hitting its stride, though, and I have the second volume queued up on my reading stack.

To end on an up note, though, I already have a favorite manga of 2015, and it’s one I had low expectations for: Jaco the Galactic Patrolman. It’s a one-shot by Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dragon Ball, which is not really my kind of book, so I didn’t have high expectations, but I was really impressed by the art. Toriyama knows how to set a scene, with clear lines and just the right amount of detail. All his characters looked very different, with strong personalities of their own. The plot is a ridiculous pileup, but Toriyama pulls it off, and his earnest but vain galactic patrolman is a perfect foil for the cranky Omari and the spunky Tights. (Yes, that’s her name.) There is a bit of a Dragon Ball crossover, plus a bonus Dragon Ball story at the end, but you don’t have to have read that series to enjoy this book. It was a real treat, and I highly recommend it for one of those gray winter days when you just need a laugh.

*  *  *  *  *

Now we turn the floor over to you: what were your favorite new manga of 2014? What titles disappointed you the most? Inquiring minds want to know!

Pull up a chair and pour yourself a strong cup of coffee–today’s super-sized post rounds up the best news stories, manga reviews, and personal essays from around the web!

VIZ is reissuing two CLAMP titles from the Tokyopop catalog: Duklyon: CLAMP School Defenders and Shirahime-Syo: Snow Goddess. As with VIZ’s other Tokyopop license rescues, Duklyon and Shirahime-Syo will be digital-only releases.

Sean Gaffney reports on the latest licensing news from Seven Seas and Yen Press, from light novels to 4-koma novelties such as Merman in a Tub. 

Over at Organization Anti-Social Geniuses, Justin Stroman interviews former Tokyopop editor Lillian Diaz-Pryzbyl about her experiences in the manga industry.

Manga scholar Ryan Holmberg posts a lengthy essay on Osamu Tezuka’s Manga Classroom, a how-to series that appeared in Manga Shonen from 1952 to 1954.

Unofficial Hatsune Mix tops this week’s New York Times Manga Bestseller list, followed by the first volume of Assassination Classroom and the second volume of Attack on Titan: No Regrets.

What’s arriving in comic book stores this week? The Manga Bookshelf gang lists the good, the bad, and the ho-hum.

Erica Friedman shares the latest yuri manga news at Okazu.

Khursten Santos has compiled a handy list of “the most dangerous BL titles of 2015,” complete with charts, cover art, and analysis.

Charles Pulliam-Moore explores the world of bara, manga by and for gay men.

In case you missed it: Chris Randle interviews translator Anne Ishii about her experience working on the new anthology Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It.

Using Tokyo Ghoul as a jumping-off point, Tony Yao explores Japanese fans’ changing taste in manga.

Wondering what josei fans are reading in Japan? Heart of Manga explores the current issue of Cookie magazine, from Rin Saito’s Back Alley Animal Clinic to Miho Obana’s Honey Bitter.

On Wednesday, January 14th, Kodansha Comics USA will be holding a special event at the midtown Manhattan Kinokuniya. Expect licensing announcements, manga giveaways, and Q&A with the Kodansha editorial staff.

Manga n00b Christina Negroni files a report on her visit to the Kyoto Manga Museum. While some of her reactions are stereotypical–who knew there was smutty manga?–her discussion of the museum’s collection is worth a read.

News from Japan: As part of its efforts to promote the Kindle platform in Japan, Amazon just launched a new service that gives customers free access to manga magazines via smart phones, tablets, and laptops. Kodansha is also getting into the e-manga game with simultaneous digital and print editions of Monthly Shonen Magazine, Weekly Shonen Magazine, and Young Magazine.

When asked, Which manga series would you most like to see end this year?, Japanese fans overwhelmingly cited Kochira Katsushika-ku Kamearikouen-mae Hashutsujo, which began serialization in 1976, and Detective Conan (a.k.a. Case Closed), which began serialization in 1994. And speaking of final volumes, the following series will be posting their last chapters in 2015: Ai Morinaga’s Kirara no Hoshi, which currently runs in Bessatsu Friend; Ryoichi Ikegami’s Tenshi wa Maiorita, which currently runs in Weekly Manga Times; Mako Kamao’s Ange Verge Linkage, which currently runs in Dragon Age; and Tsutomu Mutsuki’s Is This Girl for Real?!, which currently runs in Comic High!

Reviews: Shaenon Garrity devotes the latest House of 1000 Manga column to Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It. Here at Manga Bookshelf, Michelle Smith, Anna N., and Sean Gaffney offer pithy assessments of D-Frag!, Knights of Sidonia, and other recent releases.

Ken H. on vol. 2 of Ajin: Demi-Human (Sequential Ink)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Ani-Imo (ANN)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 1 of Assassination Classroom (Comic Book Bin)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Assassination Classroom (ANN)
Julia Smith on vol. 2 of Black Rose Alice (The Fandom Post)
Matthew Warner on vol. 12 of Blue Exorcist (The Fandom Post)
Chris Kirby on vol. 10 of Bunny Drop (The Fandom Post)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 14 of Dengeki Daisy (Comic Book Bin)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Drug & Drop (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Kate O’Neil on Garden of Words (The Fandom Post)
Kory Cerjak on vol. 2 of Honey Blood (The Fandom Post)
Katie Skelly on In Clothes Called Fat (The Comics Journal)
Joseph Luster on vol. 12 of Knights of Sidonia (Otaku USA)
Sean Gaffney on Legal Drug Omnibus (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Love at Fourteen (ANN)
Kathryn Hemmann on Marshmallow Bungaku Girl (Contemporary Japanese Literature)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 1 of Master Keaton (Comic Book Bin)
Laura on vol. 1 of Meteor Prince (Heart of Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Meteor Prince (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vols. 1-2 of Monster: Perfect Edition (Manga Worth Reading)
Ash Brown on More of You and Other Stories (Experiments in Manga)
Matthew Warner on vol. 6 of Nisekoi: False Love (The Fandom Post)
Ken H. on vol. 1 of Norigami (Sequential Ink)
Jessica Chautin on vol. 1 of Phantom Thief Jeanne (No Flying No Tights)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 1 of Prophecy (Manga Worth Reading)
Joseph Luster on vol. 1 of Prophecy (Otaku USA)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Prophecy (ANN)
Erica Friedman on vol. 16 of Rakuen Le Paradis (Okazu)
Julia Smith on vol. 1 of Resident Evil: The Marwha Desire (The Fandom Post)
Matthew Warner on vol. 16 of Rin-ne (The Fandom Post)
Chris Kirby on vol. 21 of Toriko (The Fandom Post)
Megan R. on Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles (The Manga Test Drive)
Ash Brown on vol. 5 of What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Experiments in Manga)
Lori Henderson on vol. 1 of xxxHolic Rei (Manga Xanadu)

We’re launching a new feature here at MangaBlog: An annotated monthly roundup of upcoming releases, based on the Previews catalog. That means the dates are release dates to comic shops and digital media; if you buy your manga in a bookstore, your mileage may vary.

January 7

Vertical

What Did You Eat Yesterday? vol. 6
Fumi Yoshinaga’s slice-of-life tale has gotten a lot of blogger love both for the food and for the nuanced interaction of the central couple. It got plenty of upvotes in our food manga roundtable, and Johanna Draper Carlson said “I adore Fumi Yoshinaga’s art, and her combination of recipe how-tos and small moments of daily life for a gay couple works well,” although Kate Dacey admitted to being “mildly disappointed” in the series in that same post.

Viz

Bleach, vol. 10 (3 in 1)
Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, vol. 1: New series from Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball Z.
Kiss of the Rose Princess, vol. 2
Meteor Prince, vol. 1: New shoujo series from the creator of Omukae Desu and Pearl Pink.
My Love Story, vol. 3: A MangaBlog favorite!!
Naruto, vol. 10 (3 in 1)
Nisekoi: False Love, vol. 7: High school comedy about the son and daughter of two warring Yakuza families who must pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend, even though they can’t stand each other… or maybe not.
One Piece, vol. 73

January 14

Kodansha

Noragami: Stray God, vol. 3: This started out in the first volume as sort of a slapstick comedy about a homeless god who is at the very bottom of the totem pole and is picking up odd jobs in order to earn enough to get a place to live and work his way up the ladder. It’s a good premise and I’ll be interested to see how the story develops.
The Seven Deadly Sins, vol. 6

Vertical

My Neighbor Seki, vol. 1: A new comedy about a schoolgirl who cannot ignore her classmate’s elaborate games and projects. The anime, Tonari no Seki-kun, is available on Crunchyroll.

Viz

07-Ghost, vol. 14
Case Closed, vol. 53
Ranma 1/2, vol. 6 (2 in 1)

January 21

Kodansha

Missions of Love, vol. 10
My Little Monster, vol. 6

Viz

Monster, vol. 3 (Perfect Edition)
Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire, vol. 2
Terra Formars, vol. 4

Yen Press

Akame ga Kill!, vol. 1: A new series for the new year. Here’s the blurb:

Teenage country bumpkin Tatsumi dreams of earning enough money for his impoverished village by working in the Capital— but his short-lived plans go awry when he’s robbed by a buxom beauty upon arrival! Penniless, Tatsumi is taken in by the lovely Lady Aria, but just when his Capital dreams seem in reach yet again, Lady Aria’s mansion is besieged by Night Raid—a team of ruthless assassins who targets high-ranking members of the upper class! As Tatsumi is quick to learn, appearances can be deceiving in the Capital, and this team of assassins just might be…the good guys?!

Black Butler, vol. 19: Everyone’s favorite butler, Sebastian, is kickin’ ass and pourin’ tea in this latest volume, which kicks off a new adventure for him and his boss, Ciel Phantomhive.
Goong, vol. 17: A Shocking Secret is revealed in the latest volume of the long-running manhwa.
Inu x Boku SS, vol. 6: This is a weird ensemble story filled with light and dark moments; watch for a review of the first five volumes soon.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, vol. 5: The final volume in this series.
The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-Chan, vol. 9: More 4-koma Haruhi-ness. Can there be such a thing as too much Haruhi? Apparently not.
Milkyway Hitchhiking, vol. 2
No Matter How You Look At It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular, vol. 6
Secret, vol. 1: Like Yoshiki Tonogai’s other manga, Judge and Doubt, this one features schoolchildren in giant animal heads involved in some sort of cat-and-mouse game, this one involving three murderers who are in their midst. This is a two-volume series, with the second one out in June.
Sword Art Online Progressive, vol. 1
Ubel Blatt, vol. 1
Uminkeo When They Cry, Episode 4: Alliance of the Golden Witch
Until Death Do Us Part, vol. 8

January 28

Kodansha

Fairy Tail, vol. 46

Vertical

Prophecy, vol. 1: Another new series. Here’s the blurb:

A newspaper-masked vigilante who broadcasts his acts of vengeance before committing them. A newly-formed police division tackling the new frontier of internet-based crime. As the sun rises on the Era of Information, can a group of people who found themselves at the bottom of the food chain rattle society through the web and avenge a fallen friend?

Yen Press

Soul Eater, vol. 24: If you have fallen away, it’s time to get back on board, as it’s the beginning of the end—the final showdown begins, and it all comes to a head in volume 25, the last volume in the series.

Digital Manga’s Kickstarter campaign to publish Osamu Tezuka’s Ludwig has surpassed its goal by $1,000. This was Digital’s comeback round after the failure of its ambitious Tezuka’s World Kickstarter, which would have raised over $500,000 to publish 31 volumes of Tezuka’s work.

The first volume of Attack on Titan tops this week’s New York Times best-seller list. Vol. 68 of Naruto is the number two seller, and the first volume of Assassination Classroom takes the number three slot.

World Trigger, which is carried in both the Japanese and North American versions of Shonen Jump, will skip an issue because of manga-ka Daisuke Ashihara’s health problems.

Erica Friedman posts her final edition of Yuri News Network for 2014.

The Manga bookshelf team discusses this week’s new manga, including digital releases.

Meanwhile, at Manga Xanadu, Lori Henderson looks back at the past week’s new releases.

Ash Brown looks back at the most notable manga of the year at Experiments in Manga.

News from Japan: CLAMP will draw new covers for Cardcaptor Sakura, to celebrate Nakayoshi magazine’s 60th anniversary. Your Lie in April, which Kodansha Comics will start publishing in North America in the spring, is coming to an end. GTO creator Tohru Fujisawa has a new series in the works, Soul Reviver South. MPD-Psycho will end with volume 22, not volume 21, as was originally announced.

Reviews

Anna N on vol. 1 of Assassination Classroom (Manga Report)
Sarah on vol. 14 of Attack on Titan (nagareboshi reviews)
Erica Friedman on the November issue of Comic Yuri Hime (Okazu)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 25 of Fullmetal Alchemist (Lesley’s Musings on Manga)
Erica Friedman on Hakkou Snowflake (Okazu)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of He’s My Only Vampire (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vols. 1 and 2, and Tale 0, of Honey Blood (Comics Worth Reading)
Khursten Santos on In Clothes Called Fat (Otaku Champloo)
Matthew Warner on vol. 2 of Little Battlers Experience (The Fandom Post)
Ash Brown on Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It (Experiments in Manga)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 1 of Master Keaton (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Kristin on vol. 4 of Millennium Snow (Comic Attack)
Erica Friedman on MURCIÉLAGO (Okazu)
Lori Henderson on vol. 1 of Nisekoi: False Love (Manga Xanadu)
Anna N on vol. 1 of Yukarism (Manga Report)

Bad news for Vinland Saga fans: The sixth volume has been removed from sales listings, and Kodansha Comics says the series has been “temporarily suspended.” In case you aren’t already reading the series, Johanna Draper Carlson explains why this is bad.

Good news for Shonen Jump readers: This week’s issue will include the one-shot story RKD-EK9 by Medaka Box writer NisiOisin and Death Note artist Takeshi Obata.

The Manga Bookshelf team look back at the most important manga of 2014.

Also at Manga Bookshelf, Erica Friedman has a nice introduction to the Japanese magazine Dengeki Daioh.

Twenty-five years after his death, Osamu Tezuka lives on in Japan, celebrated by murals, subway chimes, inventors, and the merchants in his old neighborhood, who trade Astro Money for civic-minded acts and serve up his favorite dish.

Erica Friedman posts a fresh edition of Yuri Network News at Okazu.

Happy blogiversary to Organization Anti-Social Geniuses, which turned four years old last week; if you haven’t checked it out from the links here, go take a look now!

News from Japan: Naoki Urasawa is taking a break from Billy Bat; the series, which has already had several interruptions, will go on hiatus until April. Library Wars: Love & War may just have ended in Japan, but artist Kiiro Yumi already has a new series, Toshokan Sensō: Love & War Bessatsu-hen, in the works. Plans are in the work for a Kabuki play based on Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece.

Reviews: The Manga Bookshelf team posts another round of quick reviews in their latest Bookshelf Briefs. Ash Brown looks back at The Week in Manga at Experiments in Manga.

Ash Brown on vol. 1 of Afterschool Nightmare (Experiments in Manga)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 3 of Food Wars (Comics Worth Reading)
Anna N. on vols. 1 and 2 of Honey Blood (Manga Report)
Johanna Draper Carlson on Mail (Comics Worth Reading)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 2 of Manga Dogs (Comics Worth Reading)
Lori Henderson on vol. 1 of Noragami (Manga Xanadu)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 4 of Say I Love You (Comics Worth Reading)
Erica Freidman on Stretch (Okazu)
Lori Henderson on vols. 1-3 of Sweet Rein (Good Comics for Kids)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 3 of Sword Art Online: Fairy Dance (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Erica Friedman on vol. 3 of Tsuki to Sekai to Etoile (Okazu)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 8 of Umineko: When They Cry (ANN)
Johanna Draper Carlson on vol. 5 of What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Comics Worth Reading)
Rebecca Silverman on vol. 1 of Yukarism (ANN)