Unshelved

I started at my new job in April, which has gone pretty well so far, but it has still been a bit of a stressful transition moving from one library to another. As a result, considering my tendency to stress-buy books, my personal library increased in size a fair bit. (Still, I did do a little better reigning myself in in April than I did in March.) Lately I’ve also noticed that my buying habits have changed somewhat, too. I’m not pre-ordering as much as I once was and so each month am playing more catch-up with past releases. Which is why I’ve only recently discovered that I tremendously enjoy series like Natsuki Takaya’s Twinkle Stars. As for more current releases that I was particularly excited about, the fifth omnibus of Inio Asano’s Goodnight Punpun and Wataru Waanabe’s Yowamushi Pedal were both published in April. I’ve apparently also been craving prose works. One of the more interesting projects that I’ve come across in a while is Keshiki, a series of eight chapbooks from a new publisher, Strangers Press, which are translations of short fiction by Japanese authors. (You’ll find them individually listed below in the section for novels, even though that’s not an entirely accurate categorization.)

Manga!
Aoharu X Machinegun, Volume 2 by Naoe
Earthian, Volumes 1-2 by Yun Kouga
Flying Witch, Volume 1 by Chihiro Ishizuka
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Volume 17 written by Yuto Tsukuda, illustrated by Shun Saeki
Goodnight Punpun, Omnibus 5 by Inio Asano
Haikyu!!, Volume 10 by Haruichi Furudate
I am a Hero, Omnibus 3 by Kengo Hanazawa
Kase-san and Morning Glories by Hiromi Takashima
Love Com, Volume 4 by Aya Nakahara
Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt, Volume 1 by Yasuo Ohtagaki
My Hero Academia, Volume 2 by Kouhei Horikoshi
Nichijou, Volume 2 by Keiichi Arawi
Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi, Volumes 4-5 by Nanao
Pet Shop of Horrors, Volumes 1-8 by Matsuri Akino
Record of Lodoss War: Lady of Pharis, Volumes 1-2 written by Ryo Mizuno, illustrated by Akihiro Yamada
Twinkle Stars, Omnibuses 1-2 by Natsuki Takaya
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Volumes 10-12 by Miki Yoshikawa
Yona of the Dawn, Volume 5 by Mizuho Kusanagi
Your Lie in April, Volumes 10-11 by Naoshi Arakawa
Yowamushi Pedal, Omnibus 5 by Wataru Watanabe

Manhwa!
Lethe by Kimjin

Comics!
Afar by Leila Del Duca and Kit Seaton
Bird Boy, Volumes 1-2 by Anne Szabla
Cafe Suada, Volumes 1-5 by Jade Sarson
Creature Feature, Volume 1 by Kelly Matthews and Nichole Matthews
Diana’s Electric Tongue by Carolyn Nowak
Girl Town by Carolyn Nowak
Head Lopper, Volume 1 by Andrew MacLean
Henchgirl by Kristen Gudsnuk
In These Words, Chapter 16 by Guilt | Pleasure
The Meek by Der-shing Helmer
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Volume 1 by Emil Ferris
The Nameless City, Volume 2: The Stone Heart by Faith Erin Hicks
Pang, The Wandering Shaolin Monk, Volumes 1-2 by Ben Costa
Radishes by Carolyn Nowak
Small Favors by Colleen Coover
Sweaty Palms edited by Liz Enright and Sage Coffey

Artbooks!
Chain Reaction by Jo Chen

Novels!
At the Edge of the Wood by Masatsugu Ono
Belka, Why Don’t You Bark? by Hideo Furukawa
Bullfight by Yasuhi Inoue
Devils in Daylight by Junichiro Tanizaki
Friendship for Grown-ups by Naocola Yamazaki
Frontier by Can Xue
The Girl Who Is Getting Married by Aoko Matsuda
The Hunting Gun by Yasuhi Inoue
The Impossible Fairy Tale by Han Yujoo
The Longshot by Katie M. Kitamura
Mariko/Mariquita by Natsuki Ikezawa
Me Against the World by Kazufumi Shiraishi
Mikumari by Misumi Kubo
Punk Samurai Slash Down by Kou Machida
Record of a Night Too Brief Hiromi Kawakami
Spring Garden by Tomoka Shibasaki
Spring Sleepers by Kyoko Yoshida
Time Differences by Yoko Tawada
Transparent Labyrinth by Keiichiro Hirano
White Elephant by Mako Idemitsu

Anthologies!
Ground Zero, Nagasaki by Yūichi Seirai
Life of a Counterfeiter and Other Stories by Yasuhi Inoue
March was Made of Yarn edited by Elmer Luke and David Karashima

Poetry!
When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities by Chen Chen

Nonfiction!
Goodbye Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki
The Tale of the Heike translated by Royall Tyler

Anime!
Bodacious Space Pirates directed by Tatsuo Sato
Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee, Seasons 1-2 directed by Akira Iwanaga

Film!
Tampopo directed by Juzo Itami

Well then, I managed to acquire a rather large number of books in March. Unexpectedly, most of them weren’t even manga. In part this was due to a bunch of comics that I had previously backed on Kickstarter showing up last month. I can also thank both online retailers and my local comic book store for offering some massive discounts throughout March. (On top of that, I have a tendency to buy books when I’m under stress. Seeing as I’m in the process of transferring from one job to another, there’s been a fair amount of added stress lately, too.) But as for the manga I picked up in March: I was particularly delighted to come across Mitsuru Adachi’s Short Program, which has been out of print for a while now. I also decided to give Kazune Kawahara’s High School Debut a try since I’ve been enjoying My Love Story!! so incredibly much. I was admittedly a little surprised to come across The Secret Devil-chan, Volume 1 by Emu, the first book to be released under Digital Manga’s new PeCChi imprint. The book has actually been available since September I think, but only directly from Digital Manga; I wasn’t sure if any of the publisher’s titles were still being released outside of it’s own web stores. And while 100 Manga Artists isn’t manga it certainly is manga-related. I didn’t realize it at first but it turns out the volume is actually a revised and updated edition of Manga Design which was released back in 2004 (and which I also own). I haven’t had a chance to closely compare the two, but 100 Manga Artists is nevertheless an interesting resource.

Manga!
Bungo Stray Dogs, Volume 2 written by Kafka Asagiri, illustrated by Sango Harukawa
Crimson Shell by Jun Mochizuki
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Volume 16 written by Yuto Tsukuda, illustrated by Shun Saeki
Hana & Hina After School, Volume 1 by Milk Morinaga
High School Debut, Volumes 1-5 by Kazune Kawahara
Kaze Hikaru, Volume 24 by Taeko Watanabe
Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl, Volume 1 by Canno
Maid-sama!, Omnibus 3 by Hiro Fujiwara
New Lone Wolf and Cub, Volume 8 written by Kazuo Koike, illustrated by Hideki Mori
One-Punch Man, Volume 11 written by One, illustrated by Yusuke Murata
The Prince in His Dark Days, Volume 3 by Hico Yamanaka
Persona 3, Volume 3 by Shuji Sogabe
Prison School, Omnibus 6 by Akira Hiramoto
The Secret Devil-chan, Volume 1 by Emu
Scum’s Wish, Volumes 1-2 by Mengo Yokoyari
Sherlock: A Study in Pink by Jay
Short Program, Volumes 1-2 by Mitsuru Adachi
Sweetness and Lightning, Volume 4 by Gido Amagakuure
That Wolf-Boy Is Mine, Volume 2 by Yoko Nogiri

Comics!
Ancestor by Matt Sheean and Malachi Ward
Arclight written by Brandon Graham, illustrated by Marian Churchland
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Big Mushy Happy Lump by Sarah Andersen
Bones of the Coast edited by Shannon Campbell, Jeff Ellis, and Kathleen Jacques
Check Please!, Year 2 by Ngozi Ukazu
Crossed Wires, Volume 1 by Iris Jay
Compass South written by Hope Larson, illustrated by Rebecca Mock
Daughters by Bianca Bagnarelli
Extended Play by Jake Terrell
For the Love of God, Marie! by Jade Sarson
Hit: 1955 written by Bryce Carlson, illustrated by Vanesa R. Del Rey
Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash
Ignition Zero, Volume 1 by Noel Arthur Heimpel
Lafcadio Hearn’s The Faceless Ghost and Other Macabre Tales from Japan written by Sean Michael Wilson, illustrated by Michiru Morikawa
Larimar by Michael K
Last Man, Volume 4: The Show by Bastien Vivès, Michael Sanlaville, and Balak
Letters for Lucardo, Volume 1 by Noora Heikkilä
No Exit by Annie Mok
O Human Star, Volume 2 by Blue Delliquanti
Perfect Hair by Tommi Parrish
Power & Magic by Joamette Gil
Pretty Deadly, Volume 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Ríos
Princeless: Raven the Pirate Princess, Volume 1 written by Jeremy Whitley, illustrated by Ted Brandt and Rosy Higgins
Sakana, Volume 1 by Mad Rupert
Secure Connect by Carta Monir
Spacejinx, Volumes 1-2 by Ocicatsy and Wensleydale
Sprawling Heart by Sab Meynert
Sticks Angelica, Folk Hero by Michael DeForge
Wayward, Volume 4 by Jim Zubkavich and Steve Cummings
The Whipping Girl by Nuria Tamarit
Wilde Life, Volume 1 by Pascalle Lepas
Witchlight by Jessi Zabarsky
The Woods, Volume 1 by James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas
The Worrier’s Guide to Life by Gemma Correll
The Worst by Molly Mendoza

Artbooks!
100 Manga Artists edited by Amano Masanao and Julius Wiedemann
Infecta by Michael K
Otomo: A Global Tribute to the Mind Behind Akira by Various

Novels!
Dream of Ding Village by Lianke Yan
The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike
Orbital Cloud by Taiyo Fujii
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
The Silent Dead by Tetsuya Honda

Anthologies!
Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales by Yoko Ogawa

Anime!
Kyousougiga directed by Rie Matsumoto

So, things got a little out of hand in February, mostly due to the fact that I came across a fair number of out-of-print and somewhat hard-to-find manga that I wasn’t able to pass up. Other than that I largely behaved myself. Most of the non-manga comics that I picked up last month were Kickstarter-related which just means that my wallet cried months (and in one case years) ago rather than in February. As for manga, I finally got my hands on The Girl from the Other Side, Volume 1 by Nagabe. Technically published in January, it’s one of my most anticipated debuts for the year. My copy of Jennifer Doyle’s Knights-Errant, Volume 1 (the most recent paperback from Chromatic Press) arrived after a short delay, too. When it came to actual February debuts, I was particularly curious about Kei Sanbe’s first first Erased omnibus and was thrilled that Two Hoses, a short erotic gay manga by Jiraiya, was simultaneously released in Japanese and in English. My copy of the gorgeous box set of Chiho Saito’s Revolutionary Girl Utena manga was one of the few that escaped the recall–most people will have to wait until April for the corrected version to be released. I also received an early copy of Ichi-F: A Worker’s Graphic Memoir of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant by Kazuto Tatsuta which was released a few days ago; I’m currently working on an in-depth review which should hopefully be posted sometime next week. Ichi-F is an important work, so I’m very glad that it was translated.

Manga!
Anonymous Noise, Volume 1 by Ryoko Fukuyama
Bakune Young, Volumes 1-3 by Toyokazu Matsunaga
Cantarella, Volumes 1-10 by You Higuri
Captive Hearts of Oz, Volume 1 written by Ryo Maruya, illustrated by Mamenosuke Fujimaru
Dawn of the Arcana, Volumes 8, 10-11 by Rei Toma
Erased, Omnibus 1 by Kei Sanbe
FukuFuku: Kitten Tales, Volume 2 by Kanata Konami
The Ghost in the Shell, Volumes 1, 1.5, 2 by Masamune Shirow
The Girl from the Other Side, Volume 1 by Nagabe
Grey, Volumes 1-2 by Yoshihisa Tagami
Haikyu!!, Volume 9 by Haruichi Furudate
Happiness, Volume 3 by Shuzo Oshimi
Ichi-F: A Worker’s Graphic Memoir of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant by Kazuto Tatsuta
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 3: Stardust Crusaders, Volume 2 by Hirohiko Araki
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages by Akira Himekawa
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Volume 1 by Akira Himekawa
Magia the Ninth, Volume 2 by Ichiya Sazanami
Maison Ikkoku, Volumes 1-15 by Rumiko Takahashi
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Volume 6 by Izumi Tsubaki
Musashi #9, Volumes 1-9, 13-15 by Miyuki Takahashi
Persona 3, Volume 2 by Shuji Sogabe
Revolutionary Girl Utena by Chiho Saito
Ten Count, Volume 3 by Rihito Takarai
Two Hoses by Jiraiya

Comics!
Another Castle: Grimoire written by Andrew Wheeler, illustrated by Paulina Ganucheau
Big Kids by Michael DeForge
Chernozem by Aud Koch
Enough Space for Everyone Else edited by J. N. Monk and Lee Black
Knights-Errant, Volume 1 by Jennifer Doyle
A Land Called Tarot by Gael Bertrand
Mae, Volume 1 by Gene Ha
Magical Beatdown, Volumes 1-1.5 by Jenn Woodall
Mahou Shounen Fight!, Volume 1 by JD Saxon and Dusty K. Smith
My Monster Boyfriend edited by C. Spike Trotman
Namesake, Volume 2 by Isabelle Melançon and Megan Lavey-Heaton
Sorcery 101, Volumes 1-2 by Kel McDonald
Yes, Roya written by C. Spike Trotman, illustrated by Emilee Denich

Artbooks!
Sketches & Studies by Aud Koch
The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts by Nintendo

Novels!
Decapitation: Kubikiri Cycle by Nisioisin
The Name of the Game Is a Kidnapping by Keigo Higashino
The Stones Cry Out by Hikaru Okuizumi

Anthologies!
The Accusation: Forbidden Stories from Inside North Korea by Bandi

Looking at the much more reasonable Bookshelf Overload for January after the absurdity that was December’s is kind of strange. I feel like I must have missed something, but no, the list below is all of the media that made its way onto my shelves (or at least into the house) in January. Granted, this does not include everything that was actually purchased in January–some of that is still in the mail. Even some of my most anticipated January release have yet to arrive for one reason or another (I’m looking at you The Girl on the Other Side). On the other hand, some of February’s releases made their way into my hands early. 2017 is apparently off to an appropriately chaotic start. Anyway. Two of the manga released in January that I was most looking forward to that actually managed to arrive on time were Kore Yamazaki’s The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Volume 6 and Junji Ito’s Dissolving Classroom. Another cool thing that I discovered in January but which was actually published in October was the USCA English Edition anthology. USCA is an independent manga magazine in Japan so anyone interested in alternative manga in translation will likely want to track the anthology down. (I found my copy through Seite Books’ online store.) I was also happy that Chan-wook Park’s film The Handmaiden (which is inspired by Sarah Water’s novel Fingersmith) received a physical release in North America. I never did get around to writing a quick take, but I saw the film in the theaters and it was excellent. Sadly, the DVD seems to be a pretty bare-bones release.

Manga!
The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Volume 6 by Kore Yamazaki
Black Clover, Volume 1 by Yūki Tabata
Bloom into You, Volume 1 by Nakatani Nio
The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 7 by Aya Shouoto
Dissolving Classroom by Junji Ito
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Volumes 14-15 written by Yuto Tsukuda, illustrated by Shun Saeki
Franken Fran, Omnibus 4 by Katsuhisa Kigitsu
Haikyu!!, Volume 8 by Haruichi Furudate
Love Com, Volumes 1-3 by Aya Nakahara
My Love Story!!, Volume 11 written by Kazune Kawahara, illustrated by Aruko
Yona of the Dawn, Volume 4 by Mizuho Kusanagi
USCA English Edition by Various

Comics!
Angel Catbird, Volume 1 written by Margaret Atwood, illustrated by Johnnie Christmas and Tamra Bonvillain
Devil’s Candy, Chapters 1-2 by Rem and Bikkuri
Gorgeous by Cathy G. Johnson
Kim & Kim, Volume 1 written by Magdalene Visaggio, illustrated by Eva Cabrera and Claudia Aguirre
NewsPrints by Ru Xu
O Infante by Daniela Viçoso
The Perks of Being a Monster by Cathy Nguyen Le and Siobhan Noel Keenan
Root Bound by Cathy Nguyen Le and Siobhan Noel Keenan
#SeniorYear by Cathy Nguyen Le and Siobhan Noel Keenan
Samurai, Son of Death written by Sharman Divono, illustrated by Hiroshi Hirata
Siegfried, Volumes 1-2 by Alex Alice
Yours by Sarah Ferrick

Artbooks!
Undone by Kori Michele Handwerker
Zodiac! edited by Binglin Hu

Nonfiction!
Critical Chips: 10 Contemporary Comics Essays edited by Zainab Akhtar
Now with Kung Fu Grip! by Jared Miracle

Anime!
Chi’s New Address directed by Mitsuyuki Masuhara
Harmony directed by Michael Arias and Takashi Nakamura
Paranoia Agent directed by Satoshi Kon

Film!
The Handmaiden directed by Chan-wook Park

Well, December happened, as I knew it would. I took advantage of a large number of holiday and end of year sales and made good use of coupons and gift cards, so my wallet is happier than it would have been otherwise, but I still managed to pick up an absurd number of things. This includes an unusual amount of anime for me, such as the Amazon-exclusive limited edition of Cowboy Bebop which was on super sale at one point. (This will replace the bootleg copy I unintentionally bought when I was much younger and didn’t know any better or how to tell the difference.) Probably the manga release I was most excited for in December was the return of Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga. (I’ll hopefully have a review of the eighth and most recent omnibus to share in the near future.) I’m also especially happy to have the deluxe edition of Junji Ito’s Tomie and the conclusion of The Ghost and the Lady by Kazuhiro Fujita on my shelves. And, of course, more of Inio Asano’s Goodnight Punpun, Haruichi Furudate’s Haikyu!!, and Izumi Tsubaki’s Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun are always welcome. Fans of Mentaiko Itto will also want to be aware of the poster collection recently released by Bruno Gmünder. It’s labeled as “1,” so there may very well be more to come. (Ahem.) As for comics, Reindeer Boy by Cassandra Jean is a lot of fun and I recently read and highly recommend The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg.

Manga!
Aoharu X Machinegun, Volume 1 by Naoe
Blood Blockade Battlefront, Volumes 1-7 by Yasuhiro Nightow
Bungo Stray Dogs, Volume 1 written by Kafka Asagiri, illustrated by Sango Harukawa
Dragon Voice, Volumes 1-10 by Yuriko Nishiyama
Fruits Basket, Omnibus 1 by Natsuki Takaya
Gangsta: Cursed, Volume 1 written by Kohske, illustrated by Syuhei Kamo
The Ghost and the Lady, Volume 2 by Kazuhiro Fujita
Giganto Maxia by Kentaro Miura
Goodnight Punpun, Omnibus 4 by Inio Asano
Haikyu!!, Volume 7 by Haruichi Furudate
Happiness, Volume 2 by Shuzo Oshimi
He’s My Only Vampire, Volumes 1-3 by Aya Shouoto
Holy Corpse Rising, Volume 1 by Hosana Tanaka
Hunter x Hunter, Volumes 1-8 by Yoshihiro Togashi
Kiss of the Rose Princess, Volumes 1-2 by Aya Shouoto
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Volumes 1-2 by Shinobu Ohtaka
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, Volume 5 by Izumi Tsubaki
New Lone Wolf and Cub, Volume 6 written by Kazuo Koike, illustrated by Hideki Mori
One-Punch Man, Volume 10 written by One, illustrated by Yusuke Murata
Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, Volumes 11-12 by Fumi Yoshinaga
Pandora Hearts, Volumes 20-22 by Jun Mochizuki
Persona 4, Volumes 4-5 by Shuji Sogabe
The Prince and His Dark Days, Volume 2 by Hico Yamanaka
Seven Princes of the Thousand Year Labyrinth, Volume 1 by Yu Aikawa
Sweetness and Lightning, Volume 3 by Gido Amagakure
Tomie by Junji Ito
Vinland Saga, Omnibus 8 by Makoto Yukimura
Welcome to the Ballroom, Volume 2 by Tomo Takeuchi

Comics!
Babybel Wax Bodysuit by Eric Kostiuk Williams
Battles by Jenn Woodall
Canopy by Karine Bernadou
Centralia 2050, Chapters 1-2 by Michelle Stanford
A City Inside by Tillie Walden
Diesel Ignition by Tyson Hesse
Dirty Diamonds, Issue 7: Imagination edited by Claire Folkman and Kelly Phillips
The End of Summer by Tillie Walden
Forest Dew by Heldrad
Hot Dog Taste Test by Lisa Hanawalt
I Love This Part by Tillie Walden
Little Kinano by Yeehun
Mondo by Ted McKeever
Oath: An Anthology of New (Queer) Heroes edited by Audre Redpath
The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg
Panther by Brecht Evens
RAV, Volume 2 by Mickey Zacchilli
Reindeer Boy by Cassandra Jean
Rosalie Lightning by Tom Hart
Small Town Witch written by Alex Singer, illustrated by Jayd Aït-Kaci
Somthing Terrible by Dean Trippe
Spidersilk, Volume 1 by Pamela Kotila
SuperCakes by Kate Leyh
That Which Wills: Virgo Rising, Book 1 written by Alex Singer, illustrated by Jayd Aït-Kaci

Artbooks!
BLKBT by C Lijewski
Burl & Furl edited by Irene Koh, Ricardo Bessa, Paul Reinwand, and Kevin Jay Stanton
Poster Book 1 by Mentaiko Itto

Novels!
The Borrowed by Chan Ho-Kei
Memoirs of a Polar Bear by Yoko Tawada
Moshi Moshi by Banana Yoshimoto
Orochi no Yaiba written by Itoshi, illustrated by Aldaria
Outlet by Randy Taguchi

Anime!
Cowboy Bebop directed by Shinichirō Watanabe
Detroit Metal City directed by Hiroshi Nagahama
My Love Story directed by Morio Asaka
Natsume’s Book of Friends, Seasons 3-4 directed by Takahiro Omori
The Perfect Insider directed by Mamoru Kanbe
Persona 4: The Animation directed by Seiji Kishi
Terror in Resonance directed by Shinichirō Watanabe
Yurikuma Arashi directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara
Young Black Jack directed by Mitsuko Kase

In an interesting trend, I seem to be picking up more and more non-manga comics lately. And in some months–take November as an example–the number of non-manga comics that I purchase even manage to rival the number of manga proper that find their way to my shelves. As for my manga acquisitions in November, I was very happy to almost complete my print collection of Kyoko Hikawa’s From Far Away which is now largely out of print. (I still need to find a nice copy of the fourteenth volume for a reasonable price.) I was also very excited for the release of Mentaiko Itto’s second collection of gay erotic manga in English The Boy Who Cried Wolf, the latest in Bruno Gmünder Gay Manga line. November saw the debut of Ichiya Sazanami’s absolutely ridiculous Magia the Ninth which I can’t claim to be the best manga out there, but I loved it and was delighted by all of its music history in-jokes. Major holiday sales began in November, too. Those will have a larger impact for me (and my wallet) in December, but a few purchase (mostly anime) have already started to arrive. Also of note, I picked up the Lone Wolf and Cub boxset for a steal when it was initially listed at the wrong price. It’s a really lovely collection of the six Lone Wolf and Cub films from the early 1970s. Surprisingly, none of which I’ve actually seen yet.

Manga!
The Boy Who Cried Wolf by Mentaiko Itto
A Bride’s Story, Volume 8 by Kaoru Mori
Devils’ Line, Volumes 1-2 by Ryo Hanada
From Far Away, Volumes 4-12 by Kyoko Hikawa
Gate: Where the JSDF Fought, Volume 1 written by Takumi Yanai, illustrated by Satoru Sao
Haikyu!!, Volumes 4-6 by Haruichi Furudate
In/Spectre, Volume 1 by Chasiba Katase
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 3: Stardust Crusaders, Volume 1 by Hirohiko Araki
La Corda d’Oro, Volumes 1-7 by Yuki Kure
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Volumes 3-4 by Shinobu Ohtaka
Magia the Ninth, Volume 1 by Ichiya Sazanami
Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, Volume 1 by Coolkyoushinja
Please Tell Me! Galko-chan, Volume 1 by Kenya Suzuki
Prison School, Omnibus 5 by Akira Hiramoto
Sunny, Volume 6 by Taiyo Matsumoto
To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts, Volumes 1-2 by Maybe
Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend, Volume 1 by Toshio Maeda
Yona of the Dawn, Volume 3 by Mizuho Kusanagi

Manhwa!
His House, Volumes 2-3 by Hajin Yoo
Intense, Volumes 2-4 by Kyungha Yi

Comics!
The Boy in Pink Earmuffs, Volumes 1-3 by Jay Fuller
Cucumber Quest, Book 1 by Gigi D.G.
Fujoshi Trapped in a Seme’s Perfect Body written by Seru, illustrated by Joberu
Habitat by Roy Simon
How to Survive in the North by Luke Healy
I Thought You Hated Me by MariNaomi
Jane Eyre adapted by Crystal S. Chan, illustrated by SunNeko Lee
Laid Waste by Julia Gfrorer
Lovers in the Garden by Anya Davidson
Miss Priss is Missing! by Jay Fuller
Narrow Road, Issues 1-2 written by Zack Davisson, illustrated by Mark Morse
No Mercy, Volume 1 written by Alex de Campi, illustrated by Carla Speed McNeil and Jenn Manley Lee
Oh Joy Sex Toy, Volume 3 by Erika Moen
Queer: A Graphic History written by Meg-John Barker, illustrated by Julia Scheele

Novels!
Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Volume 3: Endurance by Yoshiki Tanaka
The Moai Island Puzzle by Alice Arisugawa
Mr. Turtle by Yusuke Kitano

Anthologies!
The Black Cat Takes a Stroll: The Edgar Allan Poe Lectures by Akimaro Mori
Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation edited by Ken Liu

Nonfiction!
A Brief History of the Martial Arts: East Asian Fighting Styles, from Kung Fu to Ninjutsu by Jonathan Clements

Anime!
Haikyu!!, Season 1 directed by Susumu Mitsunaka
Karate Master directed by Osamu Dezaki
Parasyte: The Maxim directed by Kenichi Shimizu
The Vision of Escaflowne directed by Kazuki Akane

Film!
Lone Wolf and Cub directed by Kenji Misumi, Buichi Saito, Yoshiyuki Kuroda

October brought quite a few interesting things to my shelves. The University of Hawaii Press, which publishes some excellent Japan-related materials, had a major sale celebrating its 69th anniversary. So as not to go overboard (which would have been incredibly easy to do) I limited myself to five books. I was especially excited that Modanizumu: Modernist Fiction from Japan, 1913-1938 was included in the sale–it’s been on my wishlist since I wrote my spotlight on Kaita Murayama a couple of years ago. Kodansha Comics continues to impress me with the range and variety of manga that it’s publishing this year. Some of the great Kodansha manga from October included (but certainly wasn’t limited to) the shoujo tribute anthology Neo-Parasyte F, The Ghost and the Lady, Volume 1 by Kazuhiro Fujita and of course Princess Jellyfish, Omnibus 3 by Akiko Higashimura. (Technically, that last one is a November release; my copy just arrived early). High on the list of other October manga for which I was particularly excited there’s Blue Morning, Volume 6 by Shoko Hidaka (actually released in September, but I finally got my hands on a copy) and Kitaro Meets Nurarihyon by Shigeru Mizuki. As for non-manga October releases, I’m hoping to make time to read the second novel in Ken Liu’s Dandelion Dynasty trilogy, The Wall of Swords, sooner rather than later. (The first volume, The Grace of Kings, was one of my favorite books from last year.) I must also mention the wonderful children’s book and poetry collection Are You an Echo?: The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko which I recently reviewed and highly recommend.

Manga!
Ajin: Demi-Human, Volume 8 by Gamon Sakurai
Attack on Titan: Lost Girls, Volume 1 by Ryosuke Fuji
Blue Morning, Volume 6 by Shoko Hidaka
Cells at Work!, Volume 1 by Akane Shimizu
Dawn of the Arcana, Volumes 1-7, 9, 12-13 by Rei Toma
The Ghost and the Lady, Volume 1 by Kazuhiro Fujita
I Am a Hero, Omnibus 2 by Kengo Hanazawa
Interviews with Monster Girls, Volume 1 by Petos
Kitaro Meets Nurarihyon by Shigeru Mizuki
My Love Story!!, Volume 10 written by Kazune Kawahara, illustrated by Aruko
Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai, Volume 1 by Hiroyuki Takei
Neo-Parasyte F by Various
Platinum End, Volume 1 written by Tsugumi Ohba, illustrated by Takeshi Obata
Princess Jellyfish, Omnibus 3 by Akiko Higashimura
Samejima-kun and Sasahara-kun by Koshino
The Secret Sakura Shares by Akira Hagio
Sweetness &Lightning, Volume 2 by Gido Amagakure
Ten Count, Volume 2 by Rihito Takarai
Yona of the Dawn, Volume 2 by Mizuho Kusanagi

Manhwa!
Goong: The Royal Palace, Volumes 2-7, 9-10 by Park SoHee

Comics!
Adulthood Is a Myth by Sarah Andersen
Eat Me by Megan Rose Gedris
Godzilla in Hell by James Stokoe
Food Baby by Lucie Byron
Hotblood!: A Centaur in the Old West by Toril Orlesky
Humanescent written by Jacques Nyemb
Kill 6 Billion Demons, Volume 1 by Tom Parkinson-Morgan
Love! Love! Fighting! by Sharean Morishita
Romeo X Julien, Act 2: The Lovers by Marina
Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown

Artbooks!
Fat Mermaids edited by Paige Hall
Hotblood! Foundry: Materials Book (1871-2016) by Toril Orlesky

Novels!
Deep Red by Hisashi Nozawa
Dandelion Dynasty, Book 2: The Wall of Swords by Ken Liu

Anthologies!
Modanizumu: Modernist Fiction from Japan, 1913-1938 edited by William Jefferson Tyler
Three-dimensional Reading: Stories of Time and Space in Japanese Modernist Fiction, 1911-1932 edited by Angela Yiu

Nonfiction!
Are You an Echo?: The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko written by David Jacobson, illustrated by Toshikado Hajiri
Bodies of Evidence: Women, Society, and Detective Fiction in 1990s Japan by Amanda C. Seaman
Reading Food in Modern Japanese Literature by Tomoko Aoyama
She Changed Comics: The Untold Story of the Women Who Changed Free Expression in Comics by Various
Whisky Japan: The Essential Guide to the World’s Most Exotic Whisky by Dominic Roskrow

Anime!
Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun directed by Mitsue Yamazaki
Natsume’s Book of Friends, Seasons 1-2 directed by Takahiro Omori
Escaflowne: The Movie directed by Kazuki Akane