Manga Bookshelf's Weekly Features

SEAN: There are a large number of things to pick from (even larger if you realize I forgot to add Fairy Tail 33 to that list – whoops) – and I think I will make my choice Volume 32 of Skip Beat!. It’s quite impressive how invested the author has kept her readers in Kyoko’s success, given that this is well over the average length of a shoujo series, and we’re still only slowly edging towards romance. And yet it’s addicting. Once you start reading, it’s very hard to stop. So I’ll keep reading.

MICHELLE: My passionate love for Skip Beat! is thoroughly well documented by now, so instead of seconding Sean this time I will take my final chance to recommend Slam Dunk, whose 31st and final volume comes out on Tuesday. This is the quintessential sports manga, with an uncouth hero who finds the place he belongs, a place to be needed, and eventually becomes a real asset to his teammates. I’m going to be sad when this one is over.

ANNA: I love Skip Beat! too, but I’m going to have to join Michelle with picking the final volume of Slam Dunk. This is a special series, and I’m grateful I got to read it in English despite the fact that sports manga generally don’t sell all that well.

ASH: Skip Beat! and Slam Dunk are both fantastic choices that I could easily get behind, but I’ll think I’ll mix it up a bit by picking Dengeki Daisy this week. The series is a peculiar amalgam of romance, comedy, and cyber espionage, but I’ve become rather fond of it and look forward to the release of each new volume.

MJ: I’m going to add to the Vizfest we have here this week, with a rather surprising pick. I thought initially I’d be putting my hat in for Mayu Shinjo’s delightful Demon Love Spell, which has been a favorite for me since its launch. Instead, I find myself gravitating towards an unlikely choice—volume two of Maki Minami’s Voice Over! Seiyu Academy. After having registered my dread of its second volume just last week, I picked up my early copy and read it. As it turns out, the end of volume two features a shift in premise that suddenly commands my interest. It’s nothing new—just another well-worn shoujo trope—but one that is executed with the style and panache of, say, an addictive K-drama. Count me in!

What looks good to you this week?

ASH: There are a few interesting things being released this week, but there is one volume that especially stands out for me: Kyoko Okazaki’s Pink. Originally published in 1989, the manga is of the earliest successes from one of the most influential mangaka in josei. I was greatly impressed by Okazaki’s Helter Skelter, also released by Vertical this year, so I’m particularly looking forward to reading Pink.

MICHELLE: Pink is definitely the one I’m looking forward to the most. I am also amused by how innocuous its cover looks, given the plot synopsis!

SEAN: I am looking forward to Pink, which sounds great. My Pick, though, is for the 9th volume of Attack on Titan. It really is quite a pivotal volume, with all the various plot bits that have been dropped over the last several books coming together and making sense. Plus we get a great cliffhanger into what looks like an even more pivotal Volume 10. This is not the runaway breakout hit of 2013 for nothing.

ANNA: I am also very much looking forward to Pink. I’m so glad Vertical has decided to bring out some quality josei titles!

MJ: Well, I pretty much already declared Pink as my pick of the week, and I have no good reason to contradict myself, so my choice this week is clear. I really enjoyed Helter Skelter, and I’m thrilled that we’re seeing more Okazaki this quickly. Thanks, Vertical!

What looks good to you this week?

MJ: Once again, there’s quite a bit on this week’s shipping list, including a new volume of the much beloved Yotsuba&!, but one title stands out clearly from the crowd for me. That would be volume two of Taiyo Matsumoto’s Sunny, due out this week from Viz. From my review of the first volume: “The book’s structure and pacing seem so in tune with a child’s sense of time—that feeling of impatience on top of the endless landscape of imagination. These kids have more reasons than most to escape into their fantasy worlds, but they spend just as much time being shuffled along the familiar routines of childhood. Meals, school, sleep, play—their daily lives are similar to most young kids, but with an edge of anxiety most of us were privileged to do without. And it’s these points of anxiety that make Sunnyfeel moving and real, and not a nostalgia piece in the slightest.” Yes, I will be buying this. I really can’t wait.

MICHELLE: I’m with MJ on this. I reviewed volume two for this week’s Bookshelf Briefs and it was every bit as masterful and moving as volume one. Perhaps more so. Really, I find words inadequate to describe its greatness, so just go read it already.

ANNA: I’ll have to join in on the love for Sunny, this is clearly the standout title for the week.

ASH: It’s Matsumoto’s Sunny for me this week, too. I had the pleasure of being at TCAF for the series’ English debut, and I’ve been looking forward to the second volume’s release ever since.

SEAN: I’m picking Yotsuba&!, because I dislike unanimity, and also it’s hella fun.

What looks good to you this week?

ASH: Though there aren’t quite as many titles coming out this week as there were in the past couple of weeks, there are still plenty of manga to choose from. Personally, I’m torn between two releases: the first omnibus in Shigeru Mizuki’s Showa: A History of Japan from Drawn & Quarterly and the first volume in PictureBox’s new series Masters of Alternative Manga, Gold Pollen and Other Stories by Seiichi Hayashi. In the end, I think I’m leaning slightly more towards the beautiful hardcover edition of Gold Pollen. Alternative and underground manga aren’t often released in English; I’m happy to show PictureBox my support because I’d love to see more of it.

SEAN: I was going to pick Showa anyway, so no worries about it not appearing here. I’ve loved the Mizuki manga we’ve gotten so far from D&Q, and seeing a history of one of the most volatile periods of modern Japan, interspersed with more awesome yokai folklore, is simply too good to pass up. A must buy.

MICHELLE: I’m awfully glad we’ve got things like Gold Pollen and Showa coming out, but I can’t lie—my heart belongs to Blue Morning, volume three. Definitely my pick for best BL of the year.

ANNA: I’m glad we have those things coming out too, but to be honest, I’m probably going to read the latest volume of 07-Ghost before I read other things that are being released this week. So that is my pick!

MJ: It’s so tempting to fall back on an enduring standby this week, with the sixth 3-in-1 edition of Fullmetal Alchemist making its way to the shelves. There are few shounen manga that have occupied such a prominent place in my heart, and my admiration for its brilliant creator, Hiromu Arakawa, is steadfast and true. But comfort of old favorites is, this week, overshadowed by my excitement over PictureBox’s new collection of Seiichi Hayashi manga, Gold Pollen and Other Stories, so I must echo Ash’s pick. Not only does this release offer me a prolonged glimpse at an era of manga from which I’ve read very little, but it’s also a gorgeous, high-end release—large trim, hardcover, full-color. I can’t wait to take a close look at it. I’m thrilled, too, that this is just the first in PictureBox’s alternative manga series.

What looks good to you this week?

MICHELLE: I’m caught between two equally compelling options. On the one hand, there’s Skip Beat!‘s sixth 3-in-1 omnibus, but I’ve literally been telling people to read this for years, so even though it’s terrific, perhaps I should instead go for option number two, Strobe Edge. It’s more of an unknown quantity for me, but I’ve personally been enjoying it a lot. So… my official pick is… Strobe Edge (but also Skip Beat!).

MJ: As I’m having trouble choosing something this week, I’ll also go with Strobe Edge! I was unimpressed by this series at first, but it had me hooked by the end of the first volume, and that has only intensified over time. It’s become a book I gobble up immediately upon the arrival of each new volume. Nothing quite beats addictive shoujo.

ANNA: I also adore both Strobe Edge and Skip Beat, but I’ll go ahead and make Skip Beat my pick, simply because I’m a big fan of omnibus editions for these long-running series. Skip Beat is the rare long series that manages to keep everything compelling and fresh.

ASH: I haven’t read any of Strobe Edge yet, but I have read and adored Skip Beat!. Great comedy, great characters, and a the omnibuses are a great way of getting into the series. So, despite some of the other intriguing titles being released this week, my vote goes to Skip Beat!, too.

SEAN: And instead of breaking the tie I will choose Oresama Teacher, which not only is that rare series about teenage delinquents that’s licensed in North America, and not only has an entire *cast* that can rival Special A for being dense and not understanding any nuance, and not only manages to have a reverse harem love quadrangle without making me actually take any sides about who will win, but is simply funny as hell. Will always love this.

What looks good to you this week?

SEAN: There’s far too much stuff coming out this week, so something is bound to get lost in the shuffle. With that in mind, I will once again bang the gong for one of my addictive series. Higurashi: When They Cry continues to answer things, as we see the aftermath of Satoko and her parents, see how Rika lost her parents, and watch Miyo almost lose everything. The parallels between Miyo and Rika are emphasized even more. Definitely will be devouring this.

MICHELLE: And I’ll bang the gong for one of mine, Pandora Hearts. I’m not sure how much answering it’s going to do, but I’m sure it’ll be as riveting as it is occasionally baffling.

ANNA: I’m going to venture off-list and pick Vinland Saga again. Because today I’m finally going to head out to a physical bookstore to buy it as it seems to still be unorderable on Amazon.

ASH: Wow, there really is a lot of manga coming out this week! I’m particularly looking forward to the second volume of Mitsuhisa Kuji’s Wolfsmund which I would recommend for fans of dark and intriguing historically-inspired manga.

MJ: It’s an abundant shipping week, for sure, though for such a full week, there’s surprisingly little in it that appeals particularly to me. I’m planning to take a look at new Yen titles Another and No Matter How I Look At It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular!, and I’m always happy to see a new volume of the visually stunning Bride of the Water God. But there’s only one book in this week’s batch that I absolutely can’t wait to read, and that’s volume 18 of Pandora Hearts. I’m a long-time fan of the series, as you know, and at NYCC I was reminded again of just how few of us there are in critical circles when a fellow journalist at the con asked me, “Who writes about Pandora Hearts?” I could think of very few. So, with that in mind, I’m happy to join Michelle this week in making it my pick!

What looks good to you this week?

MICHELLE: There’s not a lot to choose from this week, but I think I’m going to go with Juicy Cider. Yes, the plot sounds generic, but I have enjoyed other BL works by Rize Shinba (most notably Intriguing Secrets), so I suspect it will be better than it seems.

ASH: I think I’m going to have to go with No. 6 this week. I would describe the manga as a “traditional” dystopia and there doesn’t seem to be very many examples of these in English. Plus, I’m really enjoying watching the relationship between Rat and Shion develop.

SEAN: Summer Wars for me. The characters look cute, the premise is intriguing, and I haven’t seen the movie it’s based on, so am relatively unspoiled. For once.

MJ: I’m rather torn this week, though not from an abundance of choices, but rather from a lack of them. Still, I feel pretty confident going with Summer Wars. I greatly enjoyed the filmmakers’ earlier work, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, as well as Vertical’s demonstrated taste in manga adaptations, namely 5 Centimeters Per Second, so I’m optimistic, for sure. This book is definitely on my list.

What looks good to you this week?

MICHELLE: Confident that someone else will pick the Nordic (is it Nordic?) elephant in the room, I’m going to kick things off by picking the second volume of Magi: Labyrinth of Magic. I liked the first volume, but the second is even better. It’s sort of a textbook example of balancing interesting and likeable characters with an intriguing setting with bits of humor and adventure and yet making it not feel like a balancing act or textbook in any way. In fact, it feels pretty refreshing and unique. I may have a new shounen favorite!

SEAN: My pick of the week is Vinland Saga. As for why, see here: Vinland Saga, Vol. 1

ASH: I’m finding it very difficult to limit myself to only one manga this week (I’m very excited to see more of est em’s work being released in print), but ultimately I think I will also have to choose the first omnibus of Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga. I have literally been wanting this series to be licensed in English for years and it is finally here!

ANNA: I’m going to have to go with Vinland Saga as well. I’m very excited to read this.

MJ: Since Vinland Saga already has a strong showing, I’ll pay a bit of attention to SuBLime Manga and the second (and final) volume of Kano Miyamoto’s Sleeping Moon. This series’ first volume put me in mind of a favorite novel from my teens, Mary Stewart’s Touch Not the Cat, with its mix of supernatural mystery and cousinly romance, and that’s always a plus for me. Though I wish this story had more time to play out, it’s enjoyable to the end.

What looks good to you this week?

SEAN: There’s a lot of good Viz stuff this week, including many long-running series, and a debut by an artist I enjoy. But I’m throwing my pick behind a novel, albeit with illustrations by one of the giants of the industry. Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro is a movie that I hope by now every parent shows their child when they’re young, to instill a sense of wonder in them. That wonder is, I’m anticipating, carried over in this novel by children’s author Tsukigo Kubo, with Illustrations provided by Miyazaki. I have a copy, though I haven’t delved into it yet, and the illustrations evoke a very A. A. Milne, Pooh Corner feeling for me. Buy two copies – one for your child, and one for yourself.

MICHELLE: There are a couple of not-the-greatest-but-I-enjoyed-it shoujo releases this week, and I reckon I’ll have to pick one of those. So, I guess I’ll go with Happy Marriage?!, volume two. In the absence of new manhwa, I will accept something manhwa-esque in its place!

ANNA: I’m going to have to go with Slam Dunk Vol. 30, because any appearance of this basketball manga is a cause for celebration. I can’t believe it is almost over. I would happily read 30 more volumes of this series.

ASH: I’m with Anna on this one. Slam Dunk is a long series, so I’m glad that Viz is seeing it through to its end. (Only one more volume to go!) Plus, I’m always happy to have more of Takehiko Inoue’s manga in English.

MJ: And I’m with Sean. I was feeling a bit torn and wishy-washy this week, until Sean invoked House at Pooh Corner, and that sealed the deal. Now I must have it. And by “it,” I mean My Neighbor Totoro. Totoro is my favorite of Miyazaki’s films. It’s warm, whimsical, and just the right kind of story to deftly sidestep Miyazaki’s resistance to writing endings, which I expect might translate nicely to prose as well. This novel sounds just lovely. I’ll follow Sean’s advice, too, and buy one for my niece, then one for myself.

What looks good to you this week?

MJ: I have a number of favorites to choose from this week, which would normally cause me a bit of angst. But if I’m being honest with myself, there’s very little in the wide world of comics that could, for me, trump a new volume of something as gloriously addictive as Goong—the only series among Yen Press’ collection of Ice Kunion manhwa acquisitions still running (to my recollection). I love this fabulously dramatic soap-opera more than I can possibly say, and I simply can’t wait to read its newest volume. Happily, too, this series is being released in chunky omnibus format, so I’ll be able to enjoy a nice, substantial fix. Thanks, Yen Press, for continuing to offer up this series! Gimme, gimme.

ANNA: Goong also makes me happy! But I have to go with Gundam: The Origin Vol. 3 Ramba Ral. This is the only book on this week’s list that I felt compelled to pre-order and I’m eagerly awaiting this volume. The hardcover and deluxe presentation of this series make it a real treat.

SEAN: There’s a lot of really nice books out this week, including some intriguing debuts and personal favorites. But I’ll go with Vol. 5 of A Bride’s Story. I’d been somewhat lukewarm about the series to start, mostly as I just find it hard to get inside the head of its female lead. But with the action switching to a pair of rambunctious twins, things picked up and also got much funnier, while keeping the warmth and heart from prior books. Definitely can’t wait to read this.

ASH: Wow, this is a great week for manga, so it really is hard to choose! Since the most recent volumes of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin and A Bride’s Story have already been mentioned (both of which I’m looking forward to a great deal), I’ll put my vote in for the first part of Hikaru Asada and Takahiro Seguchi’s Sickness Unto Death. I don’t really know much about the series, but Vertical has a habit of publishing some very intriguing manga, so it has caught my interest.

MICHELLE: It’s Goong all the way for me! This series has been on hiatus for a full two years, so I am INTENSELY grateful to Yen for bringing it back to finish its run and for scheduling subsequent releases at four-month intervals! This omnibus covers material from volumes 17-18 of the original Korean release, so if my math is right, the rest of the volumes on Yen’s schedule will take us not only through the conclusion of the series (volume 27), but through the extra 28th volume, as well.

What looks good to you this week?

ASH: Although this week is relatively light when it comes to manga releases (at least when compared to the last few weeks), there are still plenty of great manga to choose from. I’m especially interested in Satoshi Kon’s Tropic of the Sea. Kon is probably best known in the West as an anime director—and a fine one at that–but he started his career in manga. With beautiful artwork and a focus on legends and water, there’s no way I’m passing up Tropic of the Sea.

MJ: I’m quite torn this week, despite the limited selection, as it’s difficult to ignore a new volume of Ooku. But it’s even more difficult to ignore something as new (to us, anyway) and intriguing as Tropic of the Sea. So I’ll stand with Ash on this one. The cover art alone has me sold.

SEAN: Given we have Tropic of the Sea out of the way, I’m going to take a chance on Sherlock Bones, the new shounen title from Kodansha. As readers who have read my Young Miss Holmes reviews know, I’m a sucker for all things Holmes and Watson, so the premise at least intrigues me. We’ll see how much it abuses canon. The writer is also one of the pseudonyms of the people who did Kindaichi Case Files, a low-selling but highly regarded mystery series from back in the day.

MICHELLE: I admit Tropic of the Sea is very intriguing, and that I’m curious about Sherlock Bones but I simply must throw Fumi Yoshinaga some love and officially pick Ooku. True, it’s not my favorite of her manga, but it’s still quite fascinating.

ANNA: I am also torn between Tropic of the Sea and Ooku! I think I’ll have to go with Tropic of the Sea though, since I’m finding that the most interesting debut of the week.

What looks good to you this week?

MICHELLE: Even though I’m not completely sold on the idea of packaging the Sailor Moon Sailor Moon Short Stories separately, I am nonetheless going to appoint the first volume of them as my pick for this week, since it’s my penultimate chance to mention Sailor Moon in this column. I can’t believe the series is really nearly complete in English; it seemed to happen so fast!

ASH: Another series that is slowly nearing the end of its release in English is Hiroaki Samura’s long-running Blade of the Immortal. It’s a personal favorite of mine, so I’d be a bad fan if I didn’t choose it as my pick of the week. The Man of Tango is also very tempting, though…

SEAN: Normally I would be all over Sailor Moon as well. However, this volume of Hayate the Combat Butler, as well as the two that follow it, are a peak that I’m not sure the series has ever quite reached again. It’s especially a rewarding volume for Hinagiku fans, at least until the final page. For fans of romantic harem comedy, this is still one of the funnier ones. At least till 2014, when we’ll see the two action-oriented thriller volumes.

MJ: I’m going to pick up where Ash left off and give my vote to Tetuzoh Okadaya’s The Man of Tango. BL one-shots are not often for me, but based on everything I’ve read about this book, even down to the cover design, I’m going to guess that this one will be. It’s definitely one I’m willing to take a chance on. So there you have it!

ANNA: I’ll have to go with the sixth volume of 07-Ghost. There are many great manga shipping this week, but I’ll likely read that manga first. The mystical fighting priests reel me in every time!

What looks good to you this week?

SEAN: My pick of the week is the third and final Young Miss Holmes omnibus from Seven Seas. I remain impressed at its ability to shoehorn a precocious 10-year-old girl and her killer maids into the Holmes canon, and there’s a minimum of fanservice given that it runs in a Media Factory title. This third volume introduces some original stories not based on the Holmes canon, including its finale, the Giant Rat of Sumatra, which Watson always felt the world was not yet ready for. Kudos to Seven Seas for this title.

MJ: I’ve been procrastinating on this, because I was honestly torn about what to choose, though in retrospect, it seems so simple. This week offers up new volumes of a couple of my favorite addictive shoujo series, Strobe Edge and Demon Love Spell, as well as the (potentially addictive) supernatural romance Midnight Secretary. But they’re all standing up against the latest volume of one of my favorite continuing series of 2012, Takako Shimura’s Wandering Son, and there aren’t many series that would stand a chance against that. So I’m going for volume five of Wandering Son. It’s this week’s must-buy, at least for me.

ASH: As much as I love Baku Yumemakura and Jiro Taniguchi’s The Summit of the Gods there is absolutely no question as to my pick of the week: the fifth volume of Takako Shimura’s Wandering Son. The series is incredibly important to me on a very personal level in addition to simply being a great manga. It’s a wonderful story about personal identity and growing up. I’m absolutely thrilled that Fantagraphics is bringing Wandering Son to English-reading audiences and the series is receiving a beautiful hardcover release.

MICHELLE: Seeing as how Wandering Son has safely earned its place, I’m going to go for volume six of Io Sakisaka’s Strobe Edge. Of volume five, I wrote, “This is what good shoujo drama is like when you don’t have to result to tired old clichés… It actually reminds me a little of We Were There, which is high praise indeed.” I’m certainly looking forward to volume six!

ANNA: My pick is Midnight Secretary. This paranormal romance set in the business world sets up an intriguing relationship with an interesting heroine in the first volume, with some touches of both humor and angst. I’m already feeling impatient looking forward to the next volume.

What looks good to you this week?

MJ: It’s a bit of a slow week for me coming up, filled with things I’ve fallen behind on, things I don’t read, and things I might read but haven’t just yet. And then there’s Chi. If there’s any manga guaranteed to bring a smile out of me, even in my crankiest moments, it’s the warm, funny, occasionally sad, but consistently adorable Chi’s Sweet Home. Volume ten gets my pick this week. There’s simply nothing else that will do.

MICHELLE: I’m in the same boat, and feel just the same about Chi. It’s a guaranteed mood-lifter, and something that I not only like, but my coworker’s elementary-school-aged daughter likes, too. Perfect gateway manga for kids!

SEAN: I’d love to make it a unanimous pick this week, but oh no, Chi, you have to suit up and fight the Titans so you can defend your family! Attack on Titan has become one of the biggest hits of this entire year, partly due to a strong anime, but mostly due to a great story, and the author finally fleshing out his characterization of our desperate heroes. I’d argue Vols. 4-5 are where it really began to kick in, and the new Vol. 6 will probably only ramp up the tension further. Now if only the art could get a little better…

ASH: My initial reaction was to select the most recent volume of Chi’s Sweet Home as well. It’s been nearly a year since we’ve last seen that delightful little kitten romping around. But, I think I might have to join Sean in picking the sixth volume of Attack on Titan this week. The artwork has admittedly been inconsistent and even downright bad at times, but I have been thoroughly engaged with the story and worldbuilding from the very beginning of the series.

ANNA: I’m going to go with Crimson Empire just because I do plan to pick it up soon, and based on the first volume I suspect it is a good manga to read when you want to turn your brain off. Also, I find the assassin maid reverse harem scenario amusing.

What looks good to you this week?