Pick of the Week

SEAN: It’s an odd week with the majority of titles being digital ones. I’m not blown away by anything, but I guess I’ll go with the debut of Real Girl, a Dessert series that almost seems to be a genderbent version of a very common shoujo trope.

KATE: That’s some slim pickings… oof. If I had to choose a title — and death was not an option — I’d cast my vote for The High School Life of a Fudanashi. After reading several relentlessly grim books, I could use a silly palette cleanser. Fudanashi looks like it fits the bill: it’s a 4-koma title about a straight boy who likes BL but feels weird about telling his friends. It will either be a hoot or a dreary compendium of “But I’m not gay!” jokes. Let’s hope it’s the former.

MICHELLE: I intend to check out Kasane and Real Girl, but of all the options, I’m most happy that the digital release of Nodame Cantabile continues briskly, so I’ll pick volume twenty of that series this time.

ASH: Like Kate, my pick this week goes to The High School Life of a Fudanshi. The premise has promise, but it also has the potential to go completely off the rails (and not in a good way). I’m curious to see which direction the series takes!

MJ: There’s not a lot for me this week, but I’m cautiously edging towards The High School Life of a Fudanshi, with the understanding that it could turn out to be either awesome or horrifyingly offensive. I’m open to finding out which.

ANNA: There really isn’t much that’s an automatic pick for me, so like Sean, I’ll go with Real Girl as I enjoy genderbent shoujo from time to time.

MICHELLE: While I am undoubtedly excited for the debut volumes of Descending Stories and Delicious in Dungeon, the second volume of The Full-Time Wife Escapist ended on such a terrific cliffhanger than I am most eager to get my (digital) hands on volume three!

SEAN: My pick is your name., the novel by Makoto Shinkai. Being the only person in the world who hasn’t seen the movie, I know nothing about it except that it was a huge phenomenon and will likely involve a boy and girl in some way. I’m hoping fro more sweet than bittersweet, but given it’s Shinkai, not expecting that.

KATE: The first volume of Descending Stories was solid but not swoon-worthy, so I’m going to make a pitch for Yen’s two big debuts: Delicious in Dungeon, a manga that promises to combine gustatory adventures with D&D action, and Girls’ Last Tour, a “post-apocalyptic slice-of-life” series (Sean’s words, not mine).

MJ: I’m with Sean this week. I did see your name. (and loved it, of course) but I’m pretty excited to read the novel that started it all. It’s an unusual order of things for Shinkai, and I’m really interested to see what (if anything) he did differently once he was making the movie.

ASH: Oh, there are so many great and interesting things being released! The second volume of Murcielago, the debuts of Delicious in Dungeon and Girls’ Last Tour, the continuation of Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun, and more. (It looks like Yen Press has it out for me this week; my wallet weeps for me.) My pick, however, goes to Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju which I’ve been eagerly anticipating ever since Kodansha Comics first announced its license.

ANNA: This is a really good week for manga! There are many great series coming out this week, but like Michelle I am most eagerly looking forward to the third volume of The Full-Time Wife Excapist, I’ve been enjoying this series very much and can’t wait to read the next installment in the series.

SEAN: Most of the titles I’m interested in this week are digital. My pick is the second volume of Chihayafuru, because I still can’t believe it got licensed at all.

MICHELLE: On any ordinary week, I would be seconding that pick heartily, especially since my love of Chihayafuru is significantly tinged with gratitude. I’m really looking forward to Drowning Love and Our Precious Conversations, too, but I gotta award my vote to the second volume of The Girl from the Other Side. It’s a lovely, magical series with the sort of main character who I just can’t help but love with all my heart.

KATE: This week, I only have eyes for one manga: the latest volume of The Girl From the Other Side. It’s easily the best thing I’ve read this year, with a hauntingly beautiful story and gorgeous pen-and-ink drawings. I had to pinch myself when I realized that it’s published by Seven Seas, everyone’s favorite purveyor of monster girl T&A.

ANNA: Like many people, I’m excited about both The Girl From the Other Side and Chihayafuru, two very different manga. I think I’m going to have to give the edge to Chihayafuru though, the extended flashback in the first volume has me very curious about what’s happening with a more grown-up version of the characters. I’ve been waiting impatiently for the second volume!

ASH: Likewise, I’m interested in both Chihayafuru and The Girl from the Other Side, but in my case The Girl from the Other Side is the obvious choice for my pick of the week. I absolutely loved the first volume with it’s striking artwork, intriguing characters, and mysterious atmosphere. I’m really glad that Seven Seas licenses such a wide variety of material!

MICHELLE: Probably I should be casting my vote for the third volume of Tokyo Tarareba Girls. It’s josei and it’s kind of brilliant, but it’s also devastating in its own kooky way. Instead, I think I’ll pick something really comforting, like the third volume of Ace of the Diamond.

SEAN: My pick is the new My Neighbor Seki, whose variations on a theme have yet to get old.

KATE: I second Michelle’s enthusiasm for Tokyo Tarareba Girls. It will make you laugh, cry, and cringe in equal measure — that’s how good it is!

ASH: I’m certain that I would absolutely love Tokyo Tarareba Girls, but this week I only have eyes for the next volume of Requiem of the Rose King. The series is a fascinating and heart-wrenching reimagining of history with strong Shakespearean influences and gorgeous artwork.

MJ: Requiem of the Rose King 4evah. That’s just the way things are.

ANNA: Any week that Requiem of the Rose King comes out makes it an automatic pick for me too. This is one of the most compelling series currently coming out and every new volume is a treat. A treat of emotional anguish and surrealism!

SEAN: I am defying the rules! I will pick two titles this week and no one can stop me! Because we’ve been waiting for My Brother’s Husband since it was announced last year, but there’s also the debut of Dreamin’ Sun from Seven Seas! I cannot choose! I must have you both!

MICHELLE: Well, if you’re doing it, then so will I! The same two titles for me, if you please!

KATE: Well, if Sean *and* Michelle are going to break the rules, then I will, too. I’m equally thrilled for My Brother’s Husband, but I’m also planning to buy the penultimate volume of My Love Story!!, one the funniest and smartest shojo comedies VIZ has published, period. It’s one of the few series that always makes me laugh — something I can’t say of many other titles that strain too hard for comic effect. If you haven’t been keeping up with My Love Story!!, now’s a great time to get reading!

MJ: I actually find myself not even remotely torn here. I am entirely on board for My Brother’s Husband this week. It’s absolutely the pick for me!

ASH: I’m definitely interested in a fair number of this week’s manga releases, including the previously mentioned debut of Dreamin’ Sun and the continuation of My Love Story!! among others, but like MJthere’s really only one pick for me this week and that is My Brother’s Husband. I couldn’t be happier that this series is being released in English.

ANNA: This is a very good week. Like everyone else I’m excited about My Brother’s Husband, but I have to admit I’m feeling so nostalgic about My Love Story!! now that the series is coming to a close, I have to go with that.

MICHELLE: I’m both excited and grateful for more digital josei from Kodansha, but of course it’s sports manga that gets me stupidly excited, which is the case for Tuesday’s debut of Days.

SEAN: I’ll go with the 3rd Bakemonogatari novel, which promises to dig into Tsubasa Hanekawa’s psyche at long last, as well as metatext, annoying sexualized scenes, and more insults hurled with love than you can shake a stick at.

KATE: I only have eyes for one title this week: Shuzo Oshimi’s Happiness. For my money, Happiness is the best title Kodansha is publishing right now: it’s smartly drawn, expertly paced, and meticulously plotted, with a memorable, sympathetic lead character and a well-rounded cast of supporting players. More impressive still is that the horror elements feel fresh and surprising; this isn’t just another teen vampire manga. If you do give it a try, be prepared to squirm or cringe from time to time — not because it’s gory, but because it captures the special awfulness of being fifteen in vivid detail.

ASH: I’m with Kate. I don’t have much to add after such an eloquent description, but Happiness is definitely the manga release which commands my attention this week.

ANNA: OK, Happiness wasn’t on my radar before, but now it certainly is! This week would be much smaller without Kodansha’s digital releases, they are bringing back older unfinished series and producing more and more digital josei, which is a very good thing. My pick of the week is Kodansha’s digital program in general. I hope it inspires other publishers to bring out more titles that might be too noncommercial for print release.

MICHELLE: At the risk of sounding like a broken record…. Like 7SEEDS?!?!

ANNA: 7SEEDS!!!!!!!

MJ: So, first I have to decide whether I can forgive my co-bloggers for momentarily making me think that someone had actually licensed 7SEEDS. If I ever manage that, or indeed manage to recover from that brief moment of excitement, I will pick… something else? I haven’t started Happiness, but it sounds like I should.

SEAN: An avalanche of stuff this week. Baccano!, Horimiya, Sword Art Online… so many things. I think I have to go with the final Fruits Basket, which has been a fantastic re-release, and one of the best shoujo out there. Buy it and be frustrated by the final side pairings!

MICHELLE: I love Horimiya and Liselotte and Fruits Basket, but my most exuberant squee is reserved for the latest omnibus of Yowamushi Pedal!

KATE: I don’t know much about Yokai Diary, though the cover art and promotional blurb irresistibly remind me of the kind of manga TOKYOPOP used to license by the truckload. Count me in for this one!

ASH: I’m definitely torn this week. Like Michelle, I’m probably most excited for Yowamushi Pedal (and the wait between omnibuses seems far too long), but like Kate, the debut of Ghost Diary has definitely caught my attention.

ANNA: Ghost Diary does look interesting, that will have to be my pick as well!

MJ: There’s a big part of me that wants to go with Ghost Diary but the cover art has me all conflicted… Do I trust Seven Seas enough to give it a shot? I don’t know. In the interest of safety, I’ll join Sean in celebrating the last of the gorgeous Fruits Basket omnibus series. I’m pretty thrilled with that.

MICHELLE: There are a lot of Kodansha releases that I’ll be picking up this week, both digitally and in print, but the one I look forward to the most is the fourth Princess Jellyfish omnibus. It’s always amusing, but offers character development, too!

SEAN: Yeah, out of everything here the thing I most want to read is definitely Princess Jellyfish, though I am intrigued by the new Fujishima title as well.

KATE: I don’t know if I can choose between the fourth volume of Princess Jellyfish and the second volume of Tokyo Tarareba Girls–that’s a little like being asked which of your kids you like best, y’know? Still, deciding between two Akiko Higashimura titles is a great dilemma to have. I’m also intrigued by Toppu GP, even if the title irresistibly reminds me of Ed Sullivan’s old mouse sidekick, so I’ll be checking that out, too.

ANNA: I am also going to throw in for Princess Jellyfish, although I need to read the 3rd volume too. Just more Princess Jellyfish to enjoy!

ASH: Princess Jellyfish is the obvious pick for me this week, too! Of course, I’m very happy to see the gorgeous new edition of Revolutionary Girl Utena finally make its way onto the shelves as well.

MJ: I’m rather torn this week, but I think I will also need to go with Princess Jellyfish. That Utena set is really alluring, though.

SEAN: My non-manga pick of the week is the digital re-release of Louis Sachar’s Sideways Stories from Wayside School and its two sequels, aka MY CHILDHOOD TOUCHSTONE. But since it’s actually a manga site, I will pick the new volume of Assassination Classroom, aka “the one everyone has been waiting for”. I really love this series.

MICHELLE: I am all about the prose books, too, especially digital re-releases of favorites. But, yes, manga. This week I’m going with the debut volume of The Water Dragon’s Bride by Rei Toma, whose Dawn of the Arcana I enjoyed very much.

KATE: If I had to choose a title — and death was not an option — I’d vote for I Am a Hero. It’s a zombie manga for grown-ups, with adult characters, intense action sequences, and a protagonist who may or may not be going insane. If you’re a Walking Dead fan (comic or TV show), this might be in your wheelhouse.

ANNA: No surprise, I am torn between two great shoujo fantasy titles for my pick of the week. The Water Dragon’s Bride has an extremely strong first volume and the darker themes in the story really set it apart from typical shoujo fare. On the other hand, there’s the fifth volume of Yona of the Dawn, which is also an excellent fantasy series. I think the bickering, archery, and action puts Yona over the top for me, so that is my pick.

ASH: Oh, there are quite a few things that I’m interested in this week, so it’s hard to narrow it down to just one pick! Since it looks like the rest of the Manga Bookshelf crew has all the great shoujo fantasy well-represented, I’ll take this opportunity to mention Haikyu!! since it hasn’t been yet. I’m not especially interested in volleyball, but I’m enjoying the series’ positivity and energy immensely, and the characters are great, too.

MICHELLE: No matter which way I go this week, my pick will be from Kodansha. Ultimately, while I really look forward to more Cells at Work! and House of the Sun, it’s Sweetness & Lightning that beckons most strongly.

SEAN: The most tempting thing for me this week is Flying Witch Vertical’s new series about a witch adjusting to life in a rural town. It’s been called a Japanese Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

KATE: I second Michelle’s recommendation for the fifth volume of Sweetness & Lightning. I just binged on the first four volumes this weekend, and was genuinely impressed by the storytelling: it’s sweet and funny and sometimes very sad, but I never felt manipulated into sniffling or laughing. I also agree with Michelle’s observation that Sweetness & Lightning is one of the few food manga that focuses on stuff that an ordinary reader could make — another plus!

ASH: I’ll definitely be reading the next volume of Sweetness & Lightning, but since this is the only time I’ll be able to pick the Otomo tribute artbook, that’s the release I’m going to go with this week. Based on a volume that was presented when Otomo won the Grand Prize at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2015, and presented in a full-color hardcover, I expect it to be great.

ANNA: I’m not seeing a ton that is inspiring me this week, although it sounds like I should give Sweetness & Lightning a try for sure. I’m going to join in with Sean in picking Flying Witch, because often one can’t go wrong with new Vertical releases.

MJ: Count me in with the Flying Witch crowd! A cat on the cover will get me every time.

SEAN: As I noted i n Manga the Week of, I think this week breaks the record for most volumes in one week, helped along by Kodansha’s burgeoning digital lineup, which I’m sure the rest of the team will be talking about below. My pick of this week is Barakamon, though, which is seemingly a slow-moving, relaxed series but in reality has moved from strength to strength, and the development of its characters in this volume in particular is amazing. It’s become one of my favorite manga series.

MICHELLE: There are several debuts this week that I’m really looking forward to, but the single volume I most want to read is the fourth and final That Wolf-boy Is Mine! The series surprised me with how good it was, and I wouldn’t miss the conclusion for anything.

KATE: I’m most excited about Kodansha’s latest digital offerings. The swoon-worthy covers for Altair: A Record of Battle and Hozuki’s Coolheadness are calling out to me.

ASH: Agh! I’m so conflicted! Once again, I’m probably most interested in Kodansha’s digital releases this week, but I don’t generally read manga digitally. I really hope to see some of these like Altair: A Record of Battle and Hozuki’s Coolheadness eventually make their way into print. In the meantime, my official pick for this week goes to Goodnight Punpun which continues to be an incredibly surreal and uncomfortable but powerful and resonate work.

ANNA: I have to say, I’m finding Kodansha’s digital releases very compelling, although so much is coming out, I can see myself losing track of titles I want to read fairly easily. That being said, Altair: A Record of Battle is what looks most interesting to me, so that’s my pick.

MJ: Like Kate and Ash, I’m pretty interested in Altair: A Record of Battle, but I think I’ll put my vote in for Hozuki’s Coolheadness, which seems likely to ping a lot of my personal preferences all at once. And if I only wish these were being made available in print, I guess we take what we can get.

MICHELLE: I suppose Ace of the Diamond technically came out last week, but it didn’t feature in our week-of discussion ’til this week, so… I am totally picking the first volume. Shounen sports manga that’s already complete in Japan? Yes, please! (Also, because I am greedy, can we get Big Windup next?)

SEAN: “Complete” being an iffy term – remember Ace of the Diamond Act II is currently running in Japan. In any case, my pick of the week has to be the final omnibus re-release of Ranma 1/2. Re-reading the entire series has reminded me why I was so obsessed with it twenty years ago, as well as making me feel I had good reason to move on. I’ll still miss it. Also, Ryouga x Akari 5-evah.

MICHELLE: Oh, jeez. I was totally unaware.

KATE: I’ve been impressed with Kodansha’s digital manga initiative, so I’m planning to check out both volumes of House of the Sun this week. Like most of the MB gang, I’m also intrigued by Kodansha’s latest sports acquisitions, though a small and solipsistic part of me wishes these manga focused on the exciting worlds of (a) running (b) rowing or (c) golf. Now that would get me off the couch!

MICHELLE: I would definitely like to see those sports, too. And I hold out hope for Mitsuru Adachi’s Rough, too.

ASH: I’m not much of a digital reader, but I must admit Kodansha Comics’ recent offerings may very well end up changing that. I enjoyed the anime adaptation of Giant Killing immensely and I never expected All-Rounder Meguru licensed, so those two series have definitely caught my eye as picks (even if technically they were released last week). And since we’re talking about sports series we’d like to see, someone give me a competitive marching band manga!

ANNA: Complex Age 4 is the most interesting thing to me coming out this week, although I also happily celebrate greater sports manga availability.

SEAN: Lately it seems Pick of the Week is overflowing with choices, which is always a good thing. I’ll go with the debut of Anonymous Noise from Shojo Beat. For years I’ve been a fan of Hana to Yume series, and so I have high hopes for this new one. Plus that’s a fantastic cover.

MICHELLE: Oh, man. What a tough choice. I am looking forward to Anonymous Noise, and to another volume of Natsume’s Book of Friends, but I suspect that, when it makes its biannual appearances, it’ll be Skip Beat! that always ends up my official pick of the week.

KATE: I just ordered a copy of Ichi-F: A Worker’s Graphic Memoir of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. If any medium seems well-suited to telling such a harrowing, personal story, it’s manga. I might need to read the first volume of Anonymous Noise as a chaser, though…

ASH: I’m definitely interested in Anonymous Noise, too, but I’m with Kate this week. Ichi-F is a fascinating, important, and personal work that gets my pick.

ANNA: I ordered Ichi F for my library, and I’m excited about Anonymous Noise as well. However, Skip Beat! is such a special series, I can’t imagine not picking it for Pick of the Week.

MJ: There are a number of potentially interesting titles on the list this week, but the one that sticks out for me most is definitely Anonymous Noise. I’ll admit I’m a sucker for music-themed manga, and this is no exception.

ASH: Originally my pick for this week was so clear! I simply couldn’t pass up a gorgeous, deluxe box set of the Revolutionary Girl Utena manga (even if the contents might not live up to their presentation). Alas, the release date has been delayed until April. That being the case, I’ll fall back on one of my favorite manga series currently being released; Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun never fails to delight.

SEAN: I loves me some Nozaki-kun too, and I’m also very interested in the digital debut of House of the Sun. But my choice is the 2nd volume in Nisioisin’s Bakemonogatari novel, featuring Suruga Monkey and Nadeko Snake. There will be words. Oh so many words.

MICHELLE: I’m definitely interested in House of the Sun, and several other titles from Kodansha, but what I’m most asquee about is the continuation of Nodame Cantabile in digital-only releases, starting with volume seventeen!

KATE: My pick is the fourth volume of Sweetness and Lightning. It isn’t in the same league as my all-time favorite food manga — really, can anything top Oishinbo? — but its sincerity and appealing characters more than compensate for the occasional ham-fisted scene. In fact, I’m getting hungry just thinking about Sweetness and Lightning right now…

ANNA: I think out of everything coming out this week, I’m most excited about Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun. Bring on the wacky antics!

MJ: I’m always on board for more Nozaki-kun, but this week I have to join Michelle in celebrating the digital return of Nodame Cantabile! I was devastated when that series was dropped in the US, and I’m beyond thrilled to see it back, even if it won’t be able to fill my physical manga shelves.

SEAN: There’s quite a few titles I’m getting this week, but I’m not sure any of them really set themselves up above the rest as a Pick. As such, I think I’ll go with an old favorite and pick the 10th omnibus of Fruits Basket, which has Shigure’s nastiest speech to Tohru, and is therefore fascinating.

MICHELLE: I’m definitely all aboard for Fruits Basket, but after reading more about it, Erased sounds really interesting! Plus, it’s been nominated for all sorts of awards. I think I’ll be optimistic and pick it this week.

KATE: I’m torn between the latest volume of Dimension W and the first volume of Erased. I’m leaning ever-so-slightly towards Dimension W, if only because Yuji Iwahara draws manga like nobody’s business. Every detail on the page pops, and the characters are drawn with flair. And his world-building! You could read Dimension W just for the elaborate cityscapes. The story isn’t quite as engrossing as the art, but it’s fundamentally impossible to dislike an adventure in which Nikola Tesla’s research is frequently referenced.

ASH: I’m glad that Michelle picked Erased (which I will definitely be reading) because that means I can mention Magia the Ninth without feeling guilty. I can’t say it’s a great series–at times it’s barely coherent an I suspect that it was ended earlier than the creator originally intended–but I enjoyed the first volume immensely. I find it hard to resist the combination of music, magic, and historical references. The manga is absolutely ridiculous, but I’m getting a huge kick out of it and it makes me smile. Sometimes, that’s exactly what I need.

MJ: I have eternal love for Fruits Basket, of course, and I’m also interested in Dimension W. But I was absolutely thrilled to see Erased on the list, and that’s unambiguously my pick for the week. My husband and I watched the anime adaptation last year, when it was released for streaming in the U.S., and it was absolutely enthralling. This is a release I will not miss!

ANNA: I agree with many of my colleagues that Erased certainly sounds like the most interesting thing coming out this week. Looking forward to it!