Manga Bookshelf's Weekly Features

SEAN: There’s a bevy of choices, including some of my favorite shoujo series. From those favorites, I will cast my vote to Natsume’s Book of Friends, which has been gradually working an ongoing plot into its yokai-oriented story. You never know if you’ll get dangerous adventure or melancholy memories with this one. It’s fantastic.

MICHELLE: I agree with Sean 100%. Natsume is my official pick, too, but I really am excited about Honey So Sweet, too. Not to mention more of My Love Story!! and Kimi ni Todoke. If only there were some Skip Beat! coming out this week, I’d be in shoujo heaven!

ANNA: I can’t think of a better way to kick off the new year than with a new shoujo series! So Honey So Sweet is my pick of the week. This story about a slightly traumatized girl who finds herself dating a juvenile delinquent who is secretly sweet has a lo-fi charm that reminds me of some of the late, lamented manga series published by CMX. I was also reminded of Banri Hidaka while reading this, and that’s a very good thing.

ASH: Looks like it really is a shoujo sort of week! I’ve been meaning to catch up on Natsume’s Book of Friends, and I’m glad to see some new series debut, too, but I’m most looking forward to reading the seventh volume of My Love Story!!. I was afraid that the premise of the manga would grow old, but the series continues to make me incredibly happy every time I read it.

MICHELLE: There’s really only one manga on my mind for next week, and that’s Saki, a digital-only debut for a series about mahjong. And, okay, yes, it features impossibly buxom girls, too, but if I can see past the fanservice to enjoy Food Wars!, I’m hoping I can do it again with Saki.

SEAN: I am greatly looking forward to Saki as well, which apparently also has a large yuri fandom. My pick of the week is actually for 3 chapters, though, as Baccano! has a prequel manga running in Japan, and Yen Press is starting it digitally this week with the initial parts. This takes place in 1927, three years prior to the first novel due out in April, and will no doubt focus on Firo, the hero of that first novel. I am very excited for it.

MJ: I’m with Michelle, here, I have to go with Saki! My husband and I enjoyed the anime series when it debuted on Crunchyroll way back in 2009, and though the fanservice level was high, it could not eclipse the true awesomeness of near-magical mahjong tournaments. If you thought Hotta and Obata snazzed up Go, Saki takes the super-sportsification of table games to a whole new level. I’m totally psyched.

MICHELLE: That is super encouraging news!

ANNA: Saki sounds interesting, but my vote this week goes for the 7th volume of Vinland Saga. I hope we see more volumes of this series, it is wonderful.

ASH: Oh, lots of good stuff this week! If Saki was being released in print, it would be a strong contender for my pick. (That being said, it will probably be one of the few digital manga that I’ll actually buy.) And as a longtime Samura fan, I’m definitely looking forward to the debut of Die Wergelder, but my official pick of the week goes to the seventh omnibus of Vinland Saga. I join Anna in hoping this won’t be the last we see of the series; it’s an incredible manga.

MICHELLE: Secure in the knowledge that someone else is going to pick Planetes, and despite genuinely looking forward to the second volume of Tokyo ESP, I am going to have to go with my squeeing fangirl heart this week and pick the digital-only debut of Crown of Thorns, a Yoko Kamio manga that was totally not on my radar before but which I now desperately need to read.

SEAN: It’s definitely Planetes for me. If you told someone to read a manga about space garbagemen, they’d likely ignore you. But they’d be very, very wrong.

ASH: It’s Planetes for me, too. I already have the entire series sitting on my shelf from when Tokyopop released it, but I’m sorely tempted to upgrade to Dark Horse’s edition.

ANNA: Usually with Pick of the Week, my choice is clear, but I’m genuinely torn between celebrating the return of a series I loved or the lure of the new. Since other folks have picked Planetes, I’m going to give in to the side of me that greets new shoujo series with glee and cast my vote for Crown of Thorns.

MJ: I’m going to join the majority of the pack here and go with Planetes. I missed this the first time around, and I am so thrilled to have another chance at it. This is something I’ve been eagerly anticipating for quite a while, so there’s really no other choice for me.

SEAN: I suspect many of the rest of our team will be looking towards vampires, but I’m going with magic instead, as The Ancient Magus’ Bride’s third volume is my pick. Wife husbandry aside, this is a sweet and gentle supernatural manga that is just what I need to relax before the holidays.

MICHELLE: No vampires for me! I am all about the Food Wars!!

ANNA: I feel like I have to be utterly predictable and go with shoujo vampires, so Bloody Mary for me!

ASH: I’ll be tagging along with Sean this week and picking The Ancient Magus’ Bride. I’ve really been enjoying the series and look forward to reading more.

MJ: Okay, I’m at a bit of a loss here this week, but I’ll throw caution to the wind and nervously try Bloody Mary. I’m past the point of being saturated on vampires—so far past that they almost seem okay again. What’s that about? Hm. Anyway, I’ll give it a shot!

MICHELLE: Though there’s not a great deal that appeals to me among this week’s releases, I am intrigued by Scarlet Empire. Time-traveling samurai are definitely worth a look!

SEAN: As it’s the last time I’ll get to do so, my pick is the criminally underrated Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer, whose 5th and final omnibus is out this week and resolves the story in a heartwarming and compelling way.

MJ: I’m going to join Michelle here in checking out Scarlet Empire. I’ll try anything peddled to me by GFantasy, and this is no exception. Count me in for those time-traveling samurai!

ASH: I recently caught up with My Neighbor Seki and can’t wait to read more, so I’m happy to make the fifth volume my pick this week. It delights, it charms, it leaves me with a smile; sometimes that’s just what I need.

SEAN: Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun. That was easy.

ANNA: You know what? I think I’m going to pick Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun!

MICHELLE: I am feeling the strangest compulsion to pick Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun!

ASH: There are so many great manga being released this week that I couldn’t possibly choose! Ah, who am I kidding? Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun!

MJ: I’m hearing a voice in my head… what’s that it’s saying? “No… zaki…kun…. No… saki… kun…” Why, I do believe it’s suggesting that I spend my money this week on Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun! Huh.

MICHELLE: There are a few volumes coming out this week that I will probably enjoy, but none that fills me with particular enthusiasm. But since a pick is required, I reckon I will go for volume four of Love Stage!!. I continue to hope for more stage, and will probably be disappointed, but I’m not giving up yet.

SEAN: With nothing really blowing me away this week, it’s time to go back to the beginning of my manga reading career. One can never go wrong with a volume of Ranma 1/2, provided you don’t take it too seriously. That said, the appearance of Nodoka Saotome does make this one a bit less wacky than the previous.

ASH: The two manga that I’m particularly interested in this week have actually both already been mentioned. But, since I haven’t actually read any of Love Stage!! yet, I’ll throw my pick towards the series that I know I like and am happy to see being re-released in English, Ranma 1/2.

SEAN: This week’s pick is the debut of Arina Tanemura’s new series Idol Dreams. It was called her first josei series, though it runs in Melody, a magazine that caters to late shoujo/early josei demographics. And, as is common with a lot of new series lately, it features an age difference romance. Should be fun.

MICHELLE: Two series that I love are ending this week—Chi’s Sweet Home and Yukarism. I love Chi a lot, as it’s adorable and great for kids, but it doesn’t have a mystery plot that I’ve been waiting to see resolved for several months, so in terms of sheer anticipation, I think I’ve gotta award this week’s pick to Yukarism.

ASH: As usual, there are quite a few manga that I’m looking forward to this week. The final volume of the ever-delightful Chi’s Sweet Home is definitely high up there on my list, but as a JoJo’s fan who never expected to see much of the series translated, the first volume of the ridiculously epic Battle Tendency earns my pick this time around.

MJ: Since Michelle has already given the final volume of Yukarism its due, I’ll throw caution to the wind and check out Livingstone. Though I had mixed feelings about Deadman Wonderland, the combination of summary and cover art on this series’ first volume intrigues me pretty intensely. So I’m in, at least for the short term. Livingstone it is for me!

ANNA: I’m a bit torn between Yukarism and Idol Dreams but given that I’m often distracted by whatever is shiny and new, I’m going to pick the new Tanemura manga.

What looks good to you this week?

MICHELLE: There are a few things I’m interested in picking up this coming week but, ultimately, my heart belongs to kitties. Junji Ito is responsible for some incredibly terrifying imagery but I am hoping he’ll elicit warm and fuzzy feelings instead with Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu, brought to us this week by Kodansha Comics.

SEAN: I continue to be drawn towards Yen’s light novel program, so I’ll make my pick the third volume of Sword Art Online Progressive. Seeing the author return to his original setting with added years of experience under his belt has led to better writing and greater depth, and having it limited to one floor per volume is also a good idea. Also, Kirito x Asuna OTP.

ASH: I’m completely with Michelle on this one. While there are several manga being released this week that I’ll definitely be picking up, by far I’m most excited for Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu.

MJ: There are a number of releases I’m interested in this week, including my colleagues’ picks, but I simply can’t ignore anything involving Yun Kouga. I’ve waxed eloquent (or at least waxed enthusiastic) about her works time and again, and though Akuma no Riddle was somehow not on my radar at all before this week, there’s no way I’d miss it. I’m sure I’ll miss her artwork on this series, but it was always her particular way with writing that really hooked me. Akuma no Riddle is my only possible choice this week.

What looks good to you this week?

SEAN: I was going to go with L♥DK for this week’s pick, but then sadly I read it. So instead, with a minimal number of things I’m excited about, I will pick Udon’s first volume of Kill La Kill. The anime got huge buzz, both good and bad, on the Twitters and the Tumblrs, and I look forward to seeing what the excitement is all about.

MICHELLE: Oh, no! But I guess, in the absence of anything else I was planning to get, that I will still pick L♥DK anyway. With much trepidation.

ASH: I seem to be hearing a lot of good things about Claymore recently, but I’ve never actually read any of the manga. So, I’m definitely eyeing the giant box set that’s being released this week.

MJ: This feels like the right time to give another boost to Claymore, one of my very favorite shounen series. It’s dark, it’s thrilling, it’s filled with incredible female characters… what’s not to like? I don’t have any need for Viz’s new box set myself, but I’d encourage anyone to consider it! It’s a fantastic series.

SEAN: Everything comes to an end, and we have three major series ending this week. My pick is for the final volume of Oh My Goddess!. It’s the 2nd manga series I ever read, after Ranma 1/2, and I’ve literally been reading it as long as I’ve read manga. Seeing it come to an end is surprising – I honestly thought it would run forever, like Sazae-san. Here’s hoping Keiichi and Belldandy finally get the honeymoon they’ve deserved for the last 25 or so years.

MICHELLE: And while some things end, others begin, like the latest series from Kyousuke Motomi (Beast Master, Dengeki Daisy), QQSweeper! I’m partway through the debut volume now and enjoying it immensely, so it easily earns my Pick of the Week award.

ASH: QQ Sweeper is my pick, too! Although I still need to read Beast Master, I really enjoyed Dengeki Daisy, even more than I expected that I would. I’m definitely looking forward to the debut of Motomi’s newest series in English.

ANNA: I enjoyed Dengeki Daisy very much, and while QQ Sweeper doesn’t feature another older hacker janitor/schoolgirl romance, Motomi’s delightfully quirky storytelling habits make it my pick of the week. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with this more supernatural shoujo series.

MJ: I admit that I fizzled out early on Dengeki Daisy, but QQ Sweeper hooked me right away. It hits all my contemporary shoujo sweet spots, and I really can’t wait to read the next volume. This is absolutely my pick of the week.

MICHELLE: The two volumes I am most looking forward to this week hail from two very different series I love a lot and which only have a few volumes left. I think I’ve probably praised My Little Monster more often and more recently, though, so I will cast my vote this time for Tsutomu Nihei’s Knights of Sidonia, which I love fervently. I really can’t believe that it’s ending soon, but I intend to cherish every panel until it does.

SEAN: No question here: the final volume of Showa is absolutely my pick of the week. Shigeru Mizuki’s book is 60% history textbook and 40% biography, and it’s to his credit that we find both equally riveting. I can’t wait to see the conclusion.

ASH: Vinland Saga! It’s been about a year since the fifth omnibus was released, and the fate of the series in English will depend on the success of the sixth and seventh. So far, the historical epic has been excellent; I’ve been anxiously waiting to read more.

ANNA: I absolutely agree. Vinland Saga is a great series and it deserves more support. Buy a copy or three!!!!!

MJ: Though there’s a lot of manga coming out this week, I admit it’s mostly series I’m not following. That is, of course, with one BIG exception, the glorious Knights of Sidonia, which is worthy of my pick any week. I’m going for Sidonia.