Manga Bookshelf's Weekly Features

MICHELLE: I guess I’m in the mood for comedic BL this week, as I find myself having to choose between My Instructor Won’t Yield and A Man Who Defies the World of BL. In the end, I’ll have to give the advantage to the latter for its unique concept!

SEAN: Honestly, given there’s not a lot that interests me this week, I may take a flyer on some BL too and go for A Man Who Defies the World of BL. Perhaps he can defy it and end up with a nice girl! (Signs point to no.)

ANNA: I really got nothing this week, I’m going to pick the mountains of unread manga on my bookshelves!

ASH: It’s not manga, but I will admit to being curious about Breathless Time Traveler. I tend to enjoy time traveling stories. And, while I haven’t read it myself, I do know quite a few other people who really enjoy the creator’s other work, Toradora!.

SEAN: No debuts stand out to me, so I will go for a light novel. Should I pick The Executioner and Her Way of Life, which is genuinely yuri but likely to end with both of them dead, or Bofuri, which isn’t yuri but everyone wishes it was and they’re just gaming? I’ll tip towards the doomed yuri.

MICHELLE: Hm. This is a tough one for me, also. I like the general vibe of Long Period, so though it mightn’t be groundbreaking, I will probably enjoy it, so I’ll go with that.

ANNA: I’m just going to go with the box set of Witch Hat Atelier, it is such a great series and nice to have a good option for gift-giving.

ASH: All excellent picks! I’m going to take a chance with Rai Rai Rai, which I know almost nothing about, but which seems to have the potential for high levels of action-packed absurdity. I could really go for something like that at the moment.

MICHELLE: There aren’t any debuts that wildly excite me this week, so instead I’ll pick a series that I have fallen behind on but still read a great deal of, which is Natsume’s Book of Friends. Its release schedule is pretty slow, but now I’ve amassed enough unread volumes to have a proper marathon, which is appealing!

SEAN: Same here, so I’ll pick Colette Decides to Die again, because it’s one of my favorite recent shoujo licenses.

ASH: Similarly, none of this week’s debuts are a priority for me, but I must say that Don’t Hold Back, Lord Hades has one of the prettiest Hades I’ve seen in a very long time.

MJ: Can I admit to being hopelessly in love with The Apothecary Diaries? I’ve been following the anime and the manga adaptation more closely than the light novels, which I know is backwards in terms of source material, but we’ve been picking up the light novel volumes over here anyway. So that’s probably my pick!

SEAN: Look, I get that Ichi the Killer is a big deal, but it’s just not my genre at all. So yeah, I’m picking Planetes. Again. You can never pick it enough.

MICHELLE: I hope this doesn’t diminish my manga cred, but I never managed to finish Planetes! I read the first three volumes back in 2010 and then life intervened, I guess. All of which is to say, I am going to buy these fancy hardcovers and read them, dangit!

KATE: Will no one think of the poor animals on this list? I’m going to throw my weight behind Cat + Crazy (Nekottake!), as everyone can use a little cuteness in their life right now. (But yes, Planetes is worth a look if you missed it.)

ANNA: I do cherish my old Tokyopop editions of Planetes, and am always happy to celebrate this series!!!!

ASH: I adore Planetes, so I’ll take this opportunity to make the fancy hardcover my official pick. (I’ll probably need to get around to reading Ichi the Killer at some point, though…)

MICHELLE: There is no way I would *not* pick something by the creator of The Stellar Size of Gingacho, so it’s Suzuki-kun’s Mindful Life for me!

ASH: I’ve been looking forward to reading Neighborhood Craftsmen: Stories from Kanda’s Gokura-chou ever since I learned about the manga. It might not be high drama, but the artwork I’ve seen has been stunning.

KATE: I’m with Ash: Neighborhood Craftsmen: Stories from Kanda’s Gokura-chou checks just about all the right boxes for me.

ANNA: I’m with Michelle, totally excited to check out Suzuki-kun’s Mindful Life!

SEAN: Technically I should break this tie, but I have to admit, the title I’m most looking forward to is the new Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun.

SEAN: There are a number of Very Important Authors releasing works this week, which are all no doubt excellent, but I know I won’t be touching them, alas, as I am me. Instead, I’ll go back in time and pick the first volume of Magic Knight Rayearth II, the series that introduced “why can’t she just date both of them?” to many anime and manga fans.

MICHELLE: Having already picked The 13th Footprint a weeks ago, I suppose I’ll go with Tower Dungeon this time. I don’t really care about rescuing a princess, but Nihei does well with labyrinthine landscapes, in my experience, so the art might be worth a look.

ASH: The release I’m most curious about this week is Brain Damage. Shintaro Kago’s work is definitely not for everyone, but I’m glad to see more of it being translated.

ANNA: There’s quite a few interesting things coming out this week, but I’m going to take the opportunity to highlight the rerelease of Red River with the latest 3-in-1 volume. Do they make shoujo adventure like this anymore???

KATE: I’m also curious about Tsutomu Nihei’s latest, so I’m going to back MIchelle’s play and pick Tower Dungeon.

KATE: I admit this is one of those weeks when the sheer amount of new titles impressed me, but nothing screamed, “Buy me!” If I had to pick one title from the bunch, though, it would be Teppeki Honeymoon, as I have a soft spot for Meca Tanaka—not least because Omukae desu was the first manga I ever reviewed! (It was pretty mid, if memory serves.)

SEAN: I can’t pass up a light novel in one of my favorite genres. My choice is To Sir, Without Love: I’m Divorcing You.

MICHELLE: Teppeki Honeymoon has undeniable appeal, but my heart belongs to Therapy Game Restart this week!

ANNA: Teppeki Honeymoon for me, as I also have s soft spot for Meca Tanaka.

ASH: I’m not sure that I’ve actually read any Meca Tanaka manga before. Maybe I should give one a try! I’ve someone never read a Gosho Aoyama manga either, though, and Yaiba: Samurai Legend has caught my attention, so I’m making that my pick this week.

SEAN: Lotsa good stuff in a busy week, but I mist admit I Wanna Be Your Girl leapt out at me as an obvious pick, despite the award winning Who Killed the Hero? and the license rescued The Twelve Kingdoms glaring at me from offstage.

MICHELLE: I am definitely interested in I Wanna Be Your Girl, but the one on this list that made me gasp and rush to pre-order it was volume two of Fushigi Yûgi: Byakko Senki. That seems like pretty strong evidence for making it my pick of the week.

KATE: I’m putting The Colour Out of Space at the top of my to-buy list; I could use a good spooky manga right now.

ASH: I’m looking forward to reading The Colour Out of Space and I Wanna Be Your Girl, too, but I’m so excited that Twelve Kingdoms is getting another chance, I’m making that my pick.

MJ: Seeing I Wanna Be Your Girl on the list has made me interested in a new manga more than I have been in years (I already pre-ordered!) so let’s hope it’s part of a trend!

ANNA: I’m extremely excited for Fushigi Yûgi: Byakko Senki, I didn’t even realize it was about to come out!

KATE: As a ride-or-die Shostakovich fan, there’s really only one choice for me: Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze. It has everything a student of the old USSR could hope for: political intrigue, real historical actors, and a character whose code name is Bielka (that’s “squirrel” in Russian). Here’s hoping Dmitri Dmitrievich makes a cameo!

SEAN: I will never say no to more manga from Mitsura Adachi, so my pick this week is Short Game: Mitsuru Adachi’s Baseball Short Story Collection.

ANNA: Short Game For me as well, always happy to read more Adachi.

MICHELLE: I am very intrigued by Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze, but it’s gotta be Adachi for me, too, this week. I’ve had this pre-ordered for a while.

ASH: While Short Game is certainly of interest to me, Snegurochka of the Spring Breeze is a manga that I’ve been anticipating since was licensed. I will always give a new Samura manga a try.

SEAN: I cannot decide between The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You 14 and Medalist 12, two series whose venn diagram of readers who love both may be just me.

KATE: This is one of those weeks when I’m torn between two very different titles: the part of me that likes streaming crime procedurals is intrigued by The 13th Footprint, while the part of me that has fond memories of reading Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day? is excited about Cats With Jobs.

MICHELLE: My official pick would be The 13th Footprint, but if we’re doing auxiliaries, then I’ll say the swanky reissue of Codename: Sailor V.

ASH: I fully support all the picks that have been mentioned , but I’ll go ahead and highlight two more releases that have caught my attention: Senpai is an Otokonoko (which I’ve heard a few good things about in passing) and Shout Loud, My Heart (because I can’t resist a music-related BL).

ANNA: It is Codename: Sailor V for me!

MICHELLE: I had no idea that I Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love had a sequel, so I’ll choose that very pleasant surprise for my pick this week!

KATE: What’s that you say—a Tezuka title that I haven’t read? In that case, I’m making Neo Faust my Pick of the Week! (C’mon… I’m very, very predictable.)

SEAN: I’m going to go with the final volume of Sketchy, which will hopefully nag me to catch up with this underrated series.

ANNA: I’m going to go with the latest volume of Nina the Starry Bride, even though I’m a bit behind, I am very fond of that series.

ASH: Now that Issak will be available in print, I plan on finally getting around to reading it.

SEAN: There’s a lot of good stuff coming out, but I feel the pick of the week has to go to the final volume – the 50th! – of a series I never thought we’d see over here, even if only digitally. My pick goes to Chihayafuru.

MICHELLE: You are absolutely correct. I’m so grateful to Kodansha for releasing it in its entirety!

ASH: I am likewise very happy that Chihayafuru has been completely translated, but as far as debuts go, I can’t seem to pass up a josei tale of vengeance, so I’ll be making Roar: A Star in the Abyss my official pick for the week.

ANNA: I’m with Ash this week, josei vengeance does sound delightful, so Roar: A Star in the Abyss is my pick as well.

KATE: I’ve been jonesing for A Witch’s Life in Mongol since I first encountered the title on Tumblr several years ago. Based on what I’ve read about this series, it checks all of my boxes. Historical setting? Yes! Originally published in a magazine for women readers? Yes! Capable female lead? Yes! Oh, and the artwork looks pretty great, too. So, yes, A Witch in Mongol is my PotW.

MICHELLE: Stardust Family sounds legitimately good but serious, and I think I am more in the mood for fluff, so I’ll go with I’ll Forget You Starting Today, Senpai!.

SEAN: I am always so happy to read anything by Ryoko Kui, so my pick this week is Doodles by Ryoko Kui: Daydream Hour.

ASH: Lots of great things being released this week! I’m definitely interested in Kui’s artbook, but I’ll be joining Kate this week in selecting A Witch’s Life in Mongol as my pick. I’ve likewise been looking forward to this manga for quite some time.

SEAN: I have heard many people talking up The Tiny Witch from the Deep Woods, so I think that’s where I’m headed this week.

MICHELLE: I’m all about Love in the Palm of His Hand this week. I’m a sucker for stories when the protagonist finally finds the milieu in which they belong, and if there’s BL romance on top of that, then that is very much my sort of thing!

ASH: It’s Love in the Palm of His Hand for me, too! I find it interesting that there seems to be a trend developing for drama and romances which feature sign language, but I’m absolutely here for it.

ANNA: I’m going to pick Adored By an Elite Officer: Could This Be Love? just for the sake of trying a random josei title. Who ever knew there could be so much josei being translated!

MICHELLE: I’m dreadfully behind at this point, but I really liked what I’ve read of Wandance so far, so the latest volume is what I’m most looking forward to, this week.

SEAN: I’ll go for the new volume of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, which I can always count on to be wonderful.

ASH: I don’t know if it’ll be wonderful, but I am intrigued enough by the prospect of retreating to the mountains to live with giant chickens that, long story short, I’m going to go with Long Story Short, I’m Living in the Mountains.

ANNA: I’m going to go for Merry Witches’ Life because I’m intrigued by the premise of this josei series.

KATE: As usual, I’m late to the party, but two titles caught my eye: Merry Witches’ Life—because you can never have too much josei—and Dr. Mashirito’s Ultimate Manga Techniques—because even a manga critic can learn something useful from a how-to book.