Manga Bookshelf's Weekly Features

ASH: It’s a rather light week for manga releases, but even so there are still a few series, like Genshiken that I’m currently following. However, the releases I’m most curious about this week aren’t even manga, though they are manga-related. Kodansha’s branching out with the Attack on Titan guidebook, but I’m particularly interested in reading Before the Fall from Vertical, which generally shies away from light novels.

MICHELLE: I have fallen several volumes behind on Bokurano: Ours, so I don’t know for certain that it’s still as depressing yet fascinating as it was early on. Perhaps the kids find a way out of their predicament! With that hope in mind, I recommend the final volume!

SEAN: I’m a sucker for infodumps, so the appearance of the Attack on Titan Guidebook is good news for me. I look forward to seeing the likes and dislikes of the entire cast in their biographies.

ANNA: There isn’t much coming out this week that appeals to me, so my pick of the week is Sparkler Monthly. I checked out their offerings recently, and I’ve enjoyed the online comics I’ve read from them. Check out their membership drive!

MJ: Anna, what an inspired idea! I will join you in your enthusiasm for Sparker Monthly! Though I admit I initially subscribed pretty much solely for the latest chapters of Jen Lee Quick’s Off*Beat, I’ve stuck around for the rest, including Quick’s new comic Gatesmith, which is very intriguing so far.

What looks good to you this week?

SEAN: My pick is fairly obvious, so I will start. It’s well known among Hayate the Combat Butler fans that when Athena Tennos arrives, the comedy gives way to emotional drama with potentially tragic consequences. Vol. 24 of the series features the climax of that story. Not to say there’s no comedy at all – when one of your allies is dressed as a Power Ranger, there’s always something to laugh at. But the stakes are higher here than they’ve ever been, and Hayate fans, unless they hate Athena, should be ecstatic to finally see this in English.

MICHELLE: I’m going to have to go with the Dark Horse omnibus reissue of Legal Drug this week. I’m always delighted to see a former TOKYOPOP title back in print, and now fans can read it without the frustration of its unfinished status, as Dark Horse also plans to bring out the sequel next year! It’s definitely a good time to get on board.

ANNA: I’ll go ahead and pick the concluding volume of Dawn of the Arcana, since we left it off the list last week. This shoujo fantasy series was a delightful read, featured an occasionally sassy heroine, and delved into geopolitical issues much more than many readers would expect. There’s a sudden plot twist at the end that actually does put everything that happened in the previous volumes in an entirely new perspective.

ASH: I’ll admit, the release that I’m most interested in this week is the new Legal Drug omnibus. I still have my old TOKYOPOP volumes, but Dark Horse been doing a nice job with its CLAMP releases so I may end up picking it up anyway. Plus, it’s great to see the series finally available again for new readers.

MJ: It is pretty much impossible for me not to pick Dark Horse’s re-release of CLAMP’s Legal Drug. Yeah, I’m well-known as a CLAMP fan, but this is one of the series’ I’ve waited to see continued with the most verve, and this re-issue of the original series is the first step forward. Additionally, I was a huge fan of Carl Horn’s updated translation of Tokyo Babylon, so that’s something I’m looking forward to in this release as well. I’m really quite excited!

What looks good to you this week?

ASH: The first week of the month has quite a few manga releases and a good deal of variety among those. I’m always happy to see new volumes in series like What Did You Eat Yesterday? and Library Wars: Love & War, but I think my pick this week will go to the debut of Noragami: Stray God, a series that already shows a lot of promise in just its first volume. The manga’s premise might seem familiar, but it pulls it off with humor and charm.

SEAN: Busy week, but I will go with Library Wars: Love & War, a personal favorite.

MICHELLE: There are at least half a dozen appealing titles on this week’s release list, but I haven’t had a new volume of Skip Beat! to enthuse about since last December—and shan’t again ’til next April—so I simply must avail myself of the opportunity. Skip Beat! is great! Go, Skip Beat!.

ANNA: This is tough, as I am torn between Skip Beat! and Library Wars: Love & War. So torn, I think I’ll have to go for something completely different and pick Midnight Secretary. This final volume comes with a bonus story titled “Midnight Butler,” which was pretty great.

MJ: Well, there can never be too much Fumi Yoshinaga in the world for me, so I’ll be the one to go with the latest volume of What Did You Eat Yesterday?, out this week from Vertical. In a week with Yoshinaga, she’s likely to overshadow everything else with me, and this week is no exception. Gimme, gimme.

What looks good to you this week?

SEAN: There’s really not a lot of literary, “worthy” manga out this week. It’s a load of titles that are the manga equivalent of candy. So I reserve the right to pick one of my favorite guilty pleasures that everyone has abandoned but me – The Wallflower. I expect to see a lot of laughs, some possible incremental advances of romance, and no end in sight. So very, very bad for me. I love it.

MICHELLE: Given that I’m not following anything else being released this week, my pick kind of falls on Say I Love You. by default, but I really am enjoying this series and probably would’ve picked it anyway.

ASH: I’m actually really excited for the eighth volume of No. 6. Things have been getting exceptionally intense (and heartbreaking) as the series approaches its end. Plus, we get a illustration gallery and color pages in this, the penultimate volume!

ANNA: I’ll have to throw in with Michelle, Say I Love You is by far the most interesting manga coming out this week for me.

MJ: I realize this series will seem like a strange choice for me, but I’m going with the second volume of the Sword Art Online novel series. I really enjoy this world and its characters, and it’s nice to read some prose once in a while, even when it’s escapist prose. I’m there, SAO.

What looks good to you this week?

MJ: There isn’t a ton of manga I’m dying to buy this week, but enough that I did have to make a relatively difficult choice. In the end, I’ve embraced a favorite artist, even if it might not be the work I’m most interested in seeing from her–and that would be Hiromu Arakawa and her manga adaptation of The Heroic Legend of Arslan, debuting this week from Kodansha Comics. Since I love Arakawa’s storytelling at least as much as her art, it’s not giving me what I want most (*cough* Silver Spoon *cough*) but I’ll take it.

SEAN: Looking forward to Arslan, but my heart, as ever, belongs to Dorohedoro. Though given the kind of manga it is, it’s possible that my heart may have already been removed. And used as a mask. Or in pies.

ASH: It may be a relatively quiet week for new manga but I’m still interested in quite a few of the releases–the most recent volume of Dorohedoro and the debut of The Heroic Legend of Arslan being only two of them. But my pick for the week is unquestionably Takako Shimura’s Wandering Son. In addition to being a lovely and sensitive story about identity and growing up, it’s also a series that is personally very meaningful to me.

MICHELLE: And I’ll bring it ’round again to Arslan. I haven’t read anything of Arakawa’s aside from Fullmetal Alchemist, so I’m interested to see what she’ll do with this story.

ANNA: The third volume of Gangsta. is coming out this week! I really enjoyed the first two volumes of this stylish and intriguing seinen title, and I’m hoping that the third volume delves into some additional back story about the main characters.

What looks good to you this week?

SEAN: It’s a relatively quiet week for me manga-wise, which is good, as I’m still trying to make a dent on last week. As a result, I will pick my go-to Shonen Sunday action series, Magi.

MICHELLE: I like Magi, too, but I am absolutely unable to pick anything other than Loveless, whose long-awaited twelfth volume is finally here! I will do my best not to think about how long it’ll take for volume thirteen to arrive, seeing as how it hasn’t even been released in Japan yet.

ASH: It’s Loveless for me this week, too! I’ve been saving up a few volumes to read all at once.

ANNA: There isn’t really anything coming out this week that I am all that enthused about, so I’m going to pick Kaze Hikaru from last week, just because that’s what I’m going to read next!

MJ: Loveless. LOVELESS. Did I mention Loveless? Seriously, though, did anyone expect me to pick something else? Surely not.

… Loveless

What looks good to you this week?

ASH: As is often the case with the first week of the month, there are a good many manga releases hitting the shelves. But, there is one manga that I’m particularly curious about: the debut of Setona Mizushiro’s Black Rose Alice. It’s shoujo horror from the creator of After School Nightmare and I’ve been assured it’s not your typical vampire story.

MICHELLE: I’m really looking forward to Black Rose Alice, and Spell of Desire was enjoyable, too, but I can’t pass up my yearly opportunity to plug Kaze Hikaru. It’s really good, I swear! Thank you, VIZ, for continuing to release it.

ANNA: I was preparing myself for some mental anguish because I love Black Rose Alice, Spell of Desire, and Kaze Hikaru all so much! So I’m glad that Ash and Michelle have picked 2 of my favorites so I can highlight the frothy witchy fun of Spell of Desire. Since Demon Love Spell just concluded and Midnight Secretary is also about to wrap up, I am very happy I have another fun josei supernatural romance to read.

SEAN: Given what everyone’s already picked out, I’ll spotlight the 46th volume of Oh My Goddess!. We now know that the series will end with Vol. 48, and so Fujishima is allowed to pull out all the stops and do the things he had put off doing for twenty years, like plot and character development. I kid, but this volume is touching and heartwarming, as the entire arc has been, really.

MJ: I probably should choose something like Knights of Sidonia, since everyone else has avoided repeats here, but I can’t possibly pick anything this week other than Setona Mizushiro’s Black Rose Alice. I absolutely adore After School Nightmare, and after losing her glorious BL epic Dousei Ai to JManga’s demise, I’m pretty thrilled to finally see something else from her on the shelves. This is my must-buy item for the week!

What looks good to you this week?

SEAN: It’s still hot and muggy, and I now have poison ivy on top of it. I don’t need quality. I need manga pixie sticks. Ergo, there’s one obvious choice for my pick of the week: Missions of Love. Betcha can’t read just one. And feel good about yourself the next day.

MICHELLE: It’s true; even I read the first two volumes. My pick of the week goes to the third volume of My Little Monster, which has impressed me with the characterization of its lead and by making the traditional romance beats feel refreshed. I’ve really been enjoying it so far.

ASH: I’ll stick with the Kodansha theme and pick the fourth omnibus of Vinland Saga, one of my favorite series being released right now. I liked the first omnibus but loved the next two, so I’m really looking forward to seeing how the characters and story continute to develop.

ANNA: I have to agree with Ash! Vinland Saga is easily the standout title for me this week too.

What looks good to you this week?

ASH: Every once in a while a week comes along that, despite there being plenty of manga to choose from, there’s one particular title that stands out for me. Any other week that might have been the most recent volume of MPD-Psycho since it’s been three years since the last one was released, but no. Without question, this week my pick goes to Moyoco Anno’s In Clothes Called Fat. Anno is an incredible creator; I’m thrilled that Vertical has been releasing more of her work in English. After seeing some previews, I have high expectations for this one.

SEAN: Tempted as I am by Accel World and the start of a new Umineko arc, I will instead go with: What Ash said.

MICHELLE: I’ll undoubtedly read this important work, but, if I’m honest, my heart belongs to the latest volume of Blood Lad, which has shown up unexpectedly soon. I never would’ve guessed that I’d enjoy this series as much as I do.

ANNA: I will also have to throw my support towards Moyoco Anno’s In Clothes Called Fat. Anno’s works always end up surprising me, and I’m happy that Vertical is bringing out such a great variety of her titles now.

MJ: I’d love to back Michelle up here, since I do love Blood Lad, or at least throw some page time to my beloved Pandora Hearts, but I really can’t choose anything but In Clothes Called Fat. I’ve been eagerly anticipating this release since it was first announced, and I’m thrilled to see it hitting the shelves this week. I can’t possibly pick anything else.

SEAN: Well… I was going to pick Terra Formars here, but after my Manga the Week of column, there has been a torrent of “Wait, wait, haven’t you heard about it?” that has made me reconsider. I shall see how it plays in my review, but am now reluctant to grant it a pick of the week. As such, I’ll grant my pick to a Seven Seas title, D-Frag!. I like goofy club comedies, and this one promises not to lean too heavily on the harem antics. Goofy girls being weird is pretty much just what I need in these hot months.

MICHELLE: I am totally in the same boat, Sean. I was completely unaware of the title’s unsavory reputation when I wrote of my interest in the title. So, instead I’ll recommend some more seinen from VIZ in the form of Naoki Urasawa’s Monster. This is a series that’s really at its best when consumed in large chunks, so I’m pleased to see it coming out in omnibus format. If you missed it the first time, now’s your chance!

ASH: I’m still interested in reading at least the first volume of Terra Formars to see what everyone is talking about for myself, but I’ll take an easy out and choose the third volume of What Did You Eat Yesterday? for my pick this week. I like the series best when it focuses on the characters and their stories, but the food is pretty tasty, too.

ANNA: I was unaware of the issues with Terra Formars too, so I’m going to highlight Alice in the Country of Clover: Knight’s Knowledge, because I’m guessing that this reverse harem title featuring a murderous knight with no sense of direction will be much much much classier.

SEAN: Pick of the Week: We’re Not Running Away, We’re Advancing In Reverse!

MJ: I might sort of be running away. I’ll take a look at Terra Formars, but I admit I’m pretty wary now. Instead, I’ll join Ash in picking the latest volume of What Did You Eat Yesterday?, which I will undoubtedly love. Fumi Yoshinaga has never truly failed me, and this series has charmed me to bits so far. Fortunately, I have pretty much equal parts love for the characterization and the food, so I’m happy no matter what.

What looks good to you this week?

MJ: It’s a fairly money-saving week for me, as there isn’t anything on the docket strongly compelling me to buy (except maybe the latest 07-Ghost), but it’s easy for me to make a recommendation. This week brings us the second-to-last 3-in-1 release of Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist, a long-time favorite of mine, and one of only two shounen series to have made my personal top ten back in 2011. As Sean mentioned in this week’s column, every volume of this series is essential, and this is because Arakawa’s writing is so deft, there’s almost nothing wasted. Everything is important, and everything leads us to the series’ well-earned conclusion. If you’ve avoided this series because of its popularity, or for any reason at all, this is a great time to reconsider! I truly love Fullmetal Alchemist.

SEAN: Being a tad uninspired myself, I too shall go with an old favorite, the third omnibus of Ranma 1/2. Nothing makes me feel 23 years old again quite like Ranma, which back in the mid-to-late 90s was everyone’s favorite obsession. I’m not sure it can catch hold for a new generation, but these early omnibuses, now unflipped and with higher quality scans, are a great way to find out. Also: my god, I hate Mousse.

ASH: Well, since both Fullmetal Alchemist and Ranma 1/2 have already been mentioned (two great series that I heartily enjoy), this week I’ll pick another shounen series which shows some promise. Granted, parts of The Seven Deadly Sins make me roll my eyes a bit, but I do have a weakness for well-choreographed, epic battles.

MICHELLE: As I mentioned in the column, I’m feeling in a bit of a Takahashi mood, and the title that most appeals to me this week is volume 15 of chronically low-key RIN-NE, which I always find pleasant and undemanding. Perhaps that sounds like damning it with faint praise, but sometimes that’s exactly the sort of read I’m looking for.

What looks good to you this week?

SEAN: There’s one obvious title that really leaps out this week: My Love Story!!. Anything from the High School Debut creator is worth a read, the premise sounds terrific, and even the cover is funny. Can’t wait for more silly shoujo.

ASH: My Love Story!! is my obvious pick this week as well. I haven’t read High School Debut, but thanks to an early shipment I’ve already read the first volume of My Love Story!!. It may very well be one of my favorite debuts of the year; I loved it.

MICHELLE: I have proclaimed my love for High School Debut for a long time, so I am beyond excited for My Love Story!!.

ANNA: I’m not going to go against the general trend here. I’m also looking forward to My Love Story!!

MJ: It was Michelle who hooked me on High School Debut several years ago, and it’s been a while since I’ve gleefully anticipated a new shoujo series to this extent, so you can count me on board for My Love Story!! as well!

What looks good to you this week?

ASH: Despite the variety of the manga being released this week, there aren’t many that I’m actively following with one exception: the debut volume of Attack on Titan: No Regrets (which I was happy to receive an early copy for review). Currently the only explicitly shoujo version of Attack on Titan, the series is the origin story of two of the most popular (and possibly most frequently shipped) characters, Erwin and Levi. It’s also pretty great; I’m looking forward to reading the next and final volume.

SEAN: No Regrets is excellent, but since it’s been picked, I’ll go with the new Sword Art Online:Fairy Dance manga volume. An adaptation of the novel due out in December, it’s apparently quite divisive, adding a harem element back to the story after being theoretically removed when Kirito and Asuna got together, and placing Asuna out of the action for a good chunk. We will see what it can bring to the table.

MJ: I’m firmly with Sean this week. Though I’m looking forward to the novel with more verve, I’m still interested in the manga adaptation of Sword Art Online: Fairy Dance. The second arc is likely to prickle my inner feminist somewhat, much as its anime adaptation did, but I like these characters and am looking forward to seeing how they are handled by the manga.

ANNA: I have to admit, there isn’t that much that appeals to me that is coming out this week. So I’ll go with one of the manga that’s on the top of my “to-read” pile, Vinland Saga Volume 3! What warm June day isn’t improved by manly Vikings pillaging things?

MICHELLE: I’m in the same boat as Anna this week, so I’ll go back a couple of weeks and pick one I skipped in favor of Tiger & Bunny—the second volume of Say I Love You.. I’ve enjoyed these new shoujo series from Kodansha, and this is what’s presently on top of my to-read pile.

What looks good to you this week?

MJ: Though I’m interested in a few of this week’s releases, including the latest from the author of Girl Friends, I’m unable to restrain myself from recommending the second omnibus volume of CLAMP’s xxxHolic. These volumes are some of my favorites in the early series, responsible for much laughter, tears, and for my everlasting Watanuki/Doumeki ‘shipping (seriously, if you are not on board by the end of volume six, there’s no help for you). In fact, I think I must reread them in honor of this release. If you never picked up this gorgeous and occasionally maddening series, now is your chance!

SEAN: I’ll chime in here, then, and make Gakuen Polizi my pick for this week. It’s got a lot of things that people like Morinaga Milk for: yuri tease (though a lot less than Girl Friends, obviously), broad comedy between an outgoing young girl and her more introverted friend, and of course high school antics (even though our leads are technically police officers). Sometimes you just want to read something FUN. This should fit the bill nicely.

MICHELLE: I’m going to have to cast my vote for the xxxHOLiC omnibus, too. Especially since this reissue will give me the opportunity to pick up the final few volumes of the series that I originally missed!

ASH: Vertical’s deluxe release of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin is always worth mentioning, but my pick of the week actually goes to Battle Royale: Angels’ Border. In addition to a new translation of the original novel and The Battle Royale Slam Book (which was great), the manga makes the third Battle Royale release from Viz this year.

ANNA: Since no one else is picking Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, I’ll have to go with that! Civil war! Mecha! Space! Char Aznable being evil! Seriously, what else does a reader need?

What looks good to you this week?

ASH: With only six new volumes of manga being released this week, you might think that it would be easy to pick just one, but no. I’m already following more than half of the series. Still, if I have to choose, I’ll once again go with Crimson Spell. I continue to be very happy that SuBLime rescued the series.

MICHELLE: You know, I never thought I’d say this, but Tiger & Bunny has really grown on me with recent volumes, so I’m gonna award its fifth volume my pick for this week. It’s fun, with easy-to-follow action and enough focus on characters to keep me interested. I’m surprised by how much I’ve come to like it considering how underwhelmed I was initially.

SEAN: I think I’ll go for the 2nd volume of Say “I Love You” this week. It’s rapidly going in directions I hadn’t expected, and it’s refreshing to see both a lot of casual sex happening in high school, and also some of the consequences, mostly mental and emotional, that come from that. Add to this our heroine’s natural introversion and you have something that’s more addicting now than it was in the first volume.

MJ: I’ve been staring at the shipping list with desperation, and I’ll admit that there’s nothing really crying out to me this week, so I’ll throw caution to the wind and go along with Sean and Say “I Love You.” I haven’t yet read the first volume, but his description here is compelling as hell, so I’m just going to have to check it out for myself. I’m sold.

What looks good to you this week?