Pick of the Week

MJ: While there’s a lot to get excited about at Midtown Comics this week (and on Sean’s alternate list as well), including the latest (awesome) volume of Bunny Drop and one of my particular favorites, Nabari no Ou, I’m going to use my Pick this week to shine the spotlight on a lesser-known property—MiSun Kim’s Korean webtoon Aron’s Absurd Armada. I read this series’ first chapter back when I used to subscribe to Yen Plus, and after checking out its first full volume for this week’s Off the Shelf, I kinda wish I’d kept that subscription. Though there are certainly more profound comics on this week’s shipping list, and many more thoughtful, better-plotted, and carefully-crafted, too, there could hardly be any more fun. This week, I’m in the mood for a little fun.

SEAN: While the pick is obvious to those who know, me, one thing I find interesting is how far Excel Saga has moved beyond what everyone associated it with back in 2003 when it first debuted in North America. It was never as loud and manic as the anime it inspired—there was always a certain sardonic cynicism to the manga and its vision of a Japan broken by the economic bubble collapse—but when the manga revealed itself to have an actual backstory, as well as genuine characterization and depth for many of the characters, fans who were thinking ‘puns and violence’ were still taken by surprise. Now with Vol. 24 we’re getting to the climax of the story. Will Excel get her body back, or care enough to try? Is Iwata doomed? Will Misaki finally have that nervous breakdown that’s sort of been threatening for a while now? And just how low can Dr. Kabapu sink? There is a real reason I pimp this manga so often, you know. :)

MICHELLE: Man, there is a lot of good stuff on that list, including the debut volumes of a few different series. I’ll be checking out Strobe Edge and Umineko: When They Cry for sure, but, seriously, how could I resist this premise?

If you had 7 days to do whatever you wanted before your spirit is sent to heaven, what would you do? How about becoming a cat for 7 days..? Start With a Happy Ending is a heartfelt story about cats and the preciousness of life.

It’ll be Start with a Happy Ending for me!

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

MJ: Though Midtown’s list hasn’t been updated since we put together our new roundtable-style Manga the Week of, I’m still going to pick from Sean’s extended list because I can’t contain my excitement over Viz’s new, lovely-looking box set of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. I missed my opportunity to buy this series previously, and though I love the film, I’ve always wanted to read the manga. This is a no-brainer for me this week. I simply must have it. Sorry, We Were There. In any other week, you’d triumph easily.

MICHELLE: MJ, you will love it. Looking back at my 2008 reviews of the series, I see the conclusion prompted me to write: “Overall, reading this series has been an interesting and enjoyable experience. It has required a lot of brain power to digest ideas, events, and their significance, but it’s been worth it. It’s not every day a manga can make you put it down and stare contemplatively at your wall for a few minutes, after all.”

Actually, I was planning to step in here and champion We Were There, but my own words have convinced me to hop aboard the Nausicaä train, too.

SEAN: It’s been a while since I’ve had it as a pick of the week, so I think it’s a good time to champion Sailor Moon again. The 8th volume wraps up the S arc with mucho apocalypse, and our senshi team is now complete. Takeuchi’s plot is dense – this is a series that rewards multiple rereads – and the art in this one is particularly gorgeous, with quite a few double page spreads. And then Super S starts, and I know the appearance of a unicorn in front of Chibi-Usa will make folks twitch, but stay with me on this one. Still one of the premier magical girl shoujo mangas.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

KATE: Though I’m glad to see that Dark Horse is still releasing new volumes of Bride of the Water God—surely one of the most beautiful and confusing manhwa available in English—my vote goes to volume one of Keiko Suenobu’s Limit. The story focuses on a group of girls who survive a terrible bus accident. As they wait for help, the class pariah discovers she has the upper hand over her tormentors, and exploits that turn of events to its fullest. Suenobu sometimes tries too hard to make her story a parable about bullying and social dynamics, but on the whole, Limit manages to be thoughtful *and* entertaining — think Mean Girls with weapons.

MJ: I have to say, I’m with Kate this week. Though there are a number of my favorites on the list this week (I must continue to mention the ever-charming Pandora Hearts), Limit is really a must-buy.

MICHELLE: I’m going to have to chime in with a “ditto,” as well. It’s not too often that we get shoujo like this, and it’s definitely something worth checking out and supporting.

SEAN: Much as I do like the Nagato and DRRR!! spinoffs, I must chime in for Limit as well, which is simply a change of pace from ‘sweet young girl goes to high school and meets cool guy who likes her’ shoujo manga. Limit has its pacing issues, but is a gripping read with lots of high-tension emotion.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

SEAN: It’s a mild second week at Midtown, leading to a somewhat mild choice of picks for the week. I’ll go with the first omnibus volume of Girl Friends, which JManga released digitally last year. Seven Seas is doing its own edition with a different translation. I’m happy to buy it again, as I like reading paper volumes, but it’s also a fun story. One might argue that it’s a bit too cute and fluffy – this is a far cry from angsty 70s shoujo series where one girl always has to die – but honestly I’m happy to sacrifice that for some happy endings. Not that there isn’t a fair share of fretting to be found here, but this is seinen yuri, not shoujo—so the moe is ascendant. Good stuff.

MICHELLE: My vote’s going for the second volume of Punch Up!, which is actually by Shiuko Kano and not Hinako Takenaga (sic), as Midtown claims. This series from SuBLime isn’t really my usual cup of BL tea—nothing about it is sweet or adorable—and yet I am intrigued to see where it goes from here. Plus, there is a cat!

MJ: I’m making my pick a bit frantically today, as I prepare to travel for New York Comic Con, but the title that stands out for me most on the list this week is Viz’s omnibus release of Loveless, volumes one and two. I’m a fan of Yun Kouga in general, but this is a series I missed on its first go-around, so I’m grateful to have a chance to catch up to the newer volumes Viz is releasing as well! Definitely my must-buy of the week.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

KATE: It’s VIZ dump week, in which a large and random assortment of VIZ titles arrive at Midtown Comics. Although there are several great titles to choose from—Skip Beat!, Slam Dunk, A Devil and Her Love Song—my vote goes to volume eight of The Story of Saiunkoku. The volume is worth it just for the scene of Minister Ko’s unmasking, but there’s plenty more going on as well: sexual discrimination, clan intrigue, and romance. (Remember the emperor? He factors into the story in a more prominent way in this volume.) Frustratingly tidy as Saiunkoku can be, it’s still fun to read; I’m irresistibly reminded of Yentl and Mulan every time I sit down with a new volume.

MJ: While the VIZ dump certainly has a lot to offer, I admit I’m leaning in Vertical’s direction. Arrivals this week at Midtown include my pick from last week, Paradise Kiss, but also the fifth volume of GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, one of my least expected current favorites. Though nothing about the premise suggests that this series would be something I’d fall in love with, the fact is, I have, and I can’t help looking forward to each new volume. It’s definitely a GTO week for me!

SEAN: I also went with ParaKiss last week, so I’ll dip into the Viz Blitz this week and pick Vol. 29 of Skip Beat!. First of all, that cover is pure Barbara Cartland, even if no actual hot hot seduction will be happening within the actual pages. What we’ll get instead, I suspect, is more acting angst, more of Ren brooding, Kyoko freaking out about something at least once, and hopefully a shot or two of humor. At 29 volumes and counting, this is one of the longest shoujo series to be published over here, and I’ glad that it still seems to sell well. Mostly as Kyoko is simply fun to read about.

MICHELLE: I think I am going to have to go with Skip Beat!, too. It’s a special series that still makes me go, “Oh, yay! New Skip Beat!” even when we’re talking about volume 29. I could probably love this series at volume 79, actually. It’s that good, and the characters that endearing.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

KATE: Once again, you could count this week’s new arrivals on one hand. But, oh, those arrivals! DMP’s long-awaited edition of Barbara is now available through traditional retail outlets. Like most of Osamu Tezuka’s mature fiction of the 1970s, it’s equally fascinating and infuriating, with passages of sublime beauty and passages of sheer, WTF?! ridiculousness. I’m not sure I “liked” it exactly; a simple “good/bad” rating really doesn’t capture Barbara‘s weirdness, or its ambition, or its compulsive readability. Perhaps the best compliment I can pay Barbara is to say that it elicited a very strong response from me every time I’ve read it—and that’s not something I can say about 98% of the manga I review.

MICHELLE: It’s not on Midtown’s list, but Amazon shows that the latest volume of Vertical’s wine-tasting/sports manga, Drops of God, is due out this Tuesday. Subtitled “New World,” this installment jumps ahead in the storyline to a segment focusing on Napa Valley wines, which should be pretty interesting and which will hopefully garner enough interest to fill in the missing volumes in the near future!

SEAN: If we’ve decided to go rogue and pick stuff in bookstores but not comic shops this week, I think I will go with the first omnibus edition of Ai Yazawa’s Paradise Kiss. A semi-sequel to a shoujo manga from Ribon (as yet unlicensed), this features a young high school girl running into a group of eccentric young fashion designers and finding that she has talent as a model… but is the world of modeling really the safest choice? Pure soap opera, with riveting characters, this was most people’s introduction to Yazawa in North America back in the Tokyopop days, and paved the way for Nana to be an even bigger hit. Glad to see Vertical putting it back in print so it can get the attention it deserves.

MJ: I’ll just chime in here to say that I’m with Sean! I’m all about Paradise Kiss this week!

BRIGID: I never finished the first run of Genshiken, so I think I’d spring for the second volume of the Genshiken omnibus from Kodansha. It is an otaku’s otaku story, filled with all sorts of in-jokes, but the basic premise is universal, and I’ll learn a lot from the translator’s notes.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

MJ: This week’s list at Midtown Comics may look a bit short, but it’s got some pretty compelling offerings, including new volumes of popular favorites like 20th Century Boys, Sailor Moon, and Yotsuba&!, and the second volume of the relatively intriguing Attack On Titan. But my heart belongs to the Dark Horse’s final omnibus edition of CLAMP’s Cardcaptor Sakura. Wanna know why? Well, I wrote a rather giddy essay about it for the CLAMP MMF. Dark Horse’s large-format editions are beautiful enough to make this a must-buy even for fans who already own the TOKYOPOP books, and it’s certainly a must-buy for me.

MICHELLE: I’m going to cast my vote for the second volume of Until Death Do Us Part, from Yen Press. I wasn’t at all sure what to expect from this story about a precognitive girl and the blind swordsman she enlists to protect her, but it turned out to be really interesting, especially the civilian vigilante network that funds the swordsman’s efforts. True, the premise is sustaining me more at this point than the characters, but I’m definitely eager to read more.

SEAN: If you’ve been following Higurashi‘s manga from arc to arc, you’ve begun to see how the lead characters are starting, almost unconsciously, to learn from their past mistakes, mistrust and paranoia and to rely on each other and the Power Of Friendship. We now start the penultimate arc, which is not going to solve everything (it is titled the Massacre Arc, after all), but is starting to have the heartwarming, feel-good moments outweigh the horror and despair. Plus, given it’s now in 2-volume omnibus volumes, it’s getting here faster!

KATE: And my vote goes to Berserk… not! Actually, I’m interested in another Dark Horse title: volume one of CLAMP’s Angelic Layer, a shonen tournament manga that was originally released by Tokyopop in 2002. I have vague memories of reading one or two volumes and judging them harshly against soap opera theatrics of X/1999 and Tokyo Babylon, so I’m curious to see how I feel about Angelic Layer now. Even if the story turns out to be a dud, I know the book itself will be handsomely produced and well translated, so I won’t feel quite so sore about spending the money on it.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

SEAN: As always after a week where 30+ titles ship all at once, this 2nd week of the month feels like a bit of a letdown. That said, there are a few interesting items. My pick of the week goes to the 5th volume of Toradora!, Seven Seas’ romantic comedy about a tiny girl with a hot temper and her not-boyfriend, a sensitive guy with the face of a gangster. Generally speaking, ‘tsundere girl who looks 8 years old but is 16 and will beat up the guy she likes’ is a overdone theme in Japanese anime and manga, but Taiga has managed to be less irritating than, say, Louise or Shana, and the cast of characters is also more appealing to me. Especially Minori, Taiga’s best friend, who needs to cross over with Bleach so that she and Orihime can be weird together.

KATE: Them’s some meager offerings! Click over to the graphic novel list, however, and you’ll find a worthy pick of the week: Madeline Rosca’s Clockwork Sky. If Rosca’s name sounds familiar, that’s because she was one of the first people to win the International Manga Award for Hollow Fields, a story set at an academy for mad scientists. Like Hollow Fields, Clockwork Sky has a heavy element of steampunk: the story unfolds in a technologically advanced version of Victorian England, complete with automated factories and robot detectives. The description promises an abundance of plotlines, from class warfare to rogue robots, so I’m optimistic that Clockwork Sky will be a fun read.

MJ: I admit I’m finding this week’s offerings at Midtown less than enticing. Fortunately, there are other places to turn for new manga these days, and by “other” I mean “digital”! Right now, I’m racing over to JManga to pick up the third volume of Setona Mizushiro’s Dousei Ai. As a big fan of Mizushiro’s After School Nightmare I’d long waited for some of her BL work to finally be translated into English, and this series’ first two volumes did not disappoint. If you’re looking for epic, complex BL, Dousei Ai is a must-read. I only wish it was available in print!

MICHELLE: Meager, indeed! According to Amazon, though, the seventh volume of Sailor Moon (my personal pick) is due on Tuesday, so you will likely be able to find it at your local comic store, provided that store isn’t Midtown!

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

KATE: After several lean weeks, the Midtown Comics list is bursting at the seams with great titles. I have no doubt that at least one of my fellow Battle Robot members will bang the drum for Osamu Tezuka’s Message to Adolf, which Vertical is re-issuing in a splendid, two-volume hardcover edition, so I’ll plug another Vertical title: volume nine of Chi’s Sweet Home. I adored Chi before I became a cat owner last November — c’mon, what’s not to like about cute kitten antics? — but I’ve developed an even deeper appreciation for the series after living with Francesca. Kanata Konami does a great job of showing the pet-owning experience from both the pet and the person’s point of view, never avoiding those moments that test an owner’s patience: barf, shredded toilet paper, pilfered food, accidents. In the last few volumes, Konami’s done a nice job of expanding Chi’s horizons beyond the confines of her apartment, preventing the story from becoming too cutely claustrophobic or repetitive. Best of all, Chi is one of those rare manga that I could hand to just about anyone — a six-year-old, my mom, a grumpy subway commuter — and know that they’d enjoy it.

SEAN: Tempted as I am to go with one of my many light, fluffy comfort manga which will no doubt make me smile more, I have to admit that the pick of the week is going to be Message to Adolf, the new Tezuka release from Vertical. I never did read the first release of this when Viz put it out back in the day, so am looking forward to seeing what late-period, mature Tezuka can be like. The premise alone sounds good – examining the life of three people named Adolf, one of whom you probably know – but the artwork is also more advanced and detailed, and the book’s design is gorgeous. At about 1200 pages total between the two volumes, this tome is a big investment, but I sense that it’s going to be worth it.

MICHELLE: I am completely on board with both Chi’s Sweet Home and Message to Adolf—I was fortunate enough to be able to read the old VIZ editions via inter-library loan a couple years ago—but I would be remiss if I did not voice my squee at a new volume of Yuu Watase’s Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden appearing on this list! It’s been nearly three years since we’ve had a new installment in this series, which finds Watase revisiting the world of Fushigi Yûgi as a more experienced storyteller. I can’t wait to get caught up, and it makes me even happier that volume eleven isn’t too far behind!

MJ: After all that, I hardly know what to choose! I’ll be anxiously digging in to all three of my colleagues’ picks as soon as I can get my grubby little hands on them, but with such a bounty shipping in this week, I feel I should take the opportunity to spotlight another title. So in the end, I’ll give my nod to volume eight of Natsume Ono’s House of Five Leaves. I’ve made it a habit to champion this title whenever I have the chance, so why stop now? This series really shows off all of Ono’s greatest strengths—subtle relationships, nuanced characterization, complicated morality, and her lovely, distinctive artwork. Even in the midst of a very hectic week, when I sit down with a new volume of House of Five Leaves, I simply have to savor it, page by page. It’s an enduring favorite.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

KATE: This week’s shipping list is heavy on Dark Horse and DMP titles, and light on just about everything else. I still have no idea what’s happening in Gate 7, and I lost patience with Itazura na Kiss several volumes ago, so my pick goes to one of Wednesday’s few VIZ releases: volume eight of Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit. I have a hot-and-cold relationship with Ikigami: the artwork is terrific and expressive, and the premise is chilling in a good, thought-provoking way. At the same time, however, the stories are unrelentingly grim, and the tone so pessimistic that I can only read a few chapters at a time before needing a stiff drink. The other problem with Ikigami is that the overarching story — in which a “reaper” slowly begins to question his job — unfolds at what might be charitably described as a snail’s pace. Still, recent volumes have shown incremental progress in bringing Fujimoto’s crisis of conscience to the fore, giving me hope that the series is moving in a new and more dramatically satisfying direction.

MJ: It’s kind of an odd week for me, which is to say that there is a decent amount of new manga shipping in, with little of it to my taste. So I’ll make a rather optimistic choice this week and pick volume three of CLAMP’s Gate 7. While I joyfully declared volume one of this series to be “my kind of CLAMP,” its second volume’s onslaught of exposition and historical information left me a bit cold. However, having now discovered this tumblr full of guidance on Gate 7‘s historical matters, I’m ready to jump back in again for another try. If nothing else, Gate 7 offers me CLAMP’s latest take on their Watanuki-model character, which is pretty much bullet-proof for me, so that may get me through on its own. So, Gate 7 it is!

MICHELLE: Although I do intend to check out the latest volume of Ikigami and haven’t completely given up on Gate 7, I don’t feel enthusiastic enough about either to appoint one my pick of the week. I’m largely unfamiliar with most of the rest of the offerings on the list, though I confess to being slightly amused that I’ve Seen It All evidently involves love in a urology clinic. So, basically this is my exceedingly long-winded way of saying, yet again, that Itazura Na Kiss gets my vote.

SEAN: I have to know what happens! Will Caiman reunite with Nikaido? What about the new relationship between her and En, now that we know more about En’s past? I want to see more goofy humor between Noi and Shin as they casually kill people. I want more casual killing and gore from this cast of anti-heroes (or lovable villains). I want to be able to spot tiny little things in the background. I want more world-building and locations we haven’t seen before! I want to find out more about the head in Caiman’s mouth, who I think we finally have figured out. And I want more gyoza! Delicious gyoza! So yes, for all that and more, and to no one’s surprise, Dorohedoro is my pick this week.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

MICHELLE: There’s a lot of good stuff on Midtown’s list this week, including new volumes of a few favorites like Slam Dunk and Dawn of the Arcana, but I must avail myself of the once-yearly chance to award my pick to Kaze Hikaru, now in its 20th volume. While I’m sad that this series doesn’t come out more frequently, I’m exceedingly grateful that it hasn’t been outright cancelled, because it’s quite an affecting read. The cross-dressing element of the story—a young woman has disguised herself as a warrior in order to fight alongside the Shinsengumi—doesn’t do much for me, but I love that very sad and complicated things can and do happen, which makes me keen to see just how closely mangaka Taeko Watanabe will follow history. Highly recommended.

SEAN: Lotsa good stuff this time around, but my obvious pick is for a series I’ll see for the last time. I’ve loved Bamboo Blade since it began, a sports manga that shows jaded girls, flaky girls, ambitious girls, and quite frankly dangerously insane girls, all of whom can throw off all that baggage and become awesome with the power of kendo in order to reach the top. For most of the series the top has been our heroine, Tamaki. And now she’s finally discovering that she still has something to reach for, and that kendo is not just about making her more sociable. I can’t wait to see the end, and will miss the series dearly when I do get to it.

KATE: Long-time readers of my blog know I’m a shameless promoter of Kaze Hikaru. And InuYasha. And Kekkaishi. So I’m going to deviate from my well-established pattern of promoting my favorite titles and recommend volume twenty-three of Slam Dunk. One of the things I like best about this series is the way Takehiko Inoue balances intense game play with slapstick humor. Hard-core sports fans will appreciate the skill with which Inoue renders the pick-and-roll and free throw, while ordinary otaku can can appreciate the goofy, anything-for-a-laugh moments that punctuate the practices, scrimmages, and games.

MJ: There really is a lot to choose from this week, but the title that most catches my eye is one I haven’t thought about in a while. I became an immediate fan when I read the first volume of Nabari no Ou back in 2009, but I let it fall off my radar a bit after the first few volumes. Then last week, I read this review of volume ten by Kate O’Neil at the Fandom Post, and it became suddenly clear that I needed to catch up. So this week’s must-buy for me is volume eleven of Nabari no Ou. I really look forward to digging in to this series again, especially now that I have a few volumes ready to marathon all at once. I’ll be sure to report back!

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

MJ: Though Midtown Comics’ selection is pretty limited this week, I still find myself a bit torn. I’ve been a big fan of Tohru Fujisawa’s GTO: 14 Days in Shonan—much bigger than I’d ever expected, in fact—so that’s certainly a major draw for me. But I think my real vote goes to the second volume of another Vertical title—Shuzo Oshimi’s The Flowers of Evil. The series’ first volume offered up a thoughtful take on some of the awkward realities of teenage sexuality, portrayed with a level of honesty (especially regarding its young, male protagonist) that I really hadn’t anticipated. I was surprised by my own reaction to this series, and I am really looking forward to more.

SEAN: Tempted as I am to ignore Midtown’s list and pick one of the pile of Viz coming out everywhere else this week, I will refrain. Instead, let’s go with Vol. 13 of GTO The Early Years, which doesn’t get as much critical praise as its sequels, but is just as much fun. The first half is an epic high school battle involving what a man has to do. After that we get to see exactly what it’s like to be Onizuka’s mother (answer: not all that fun), and find out what the dangers are of claiming to your gang that you’re so badass you can defeat anyone and anything. And the last two chapters are filthy and hilarious. It may seem retro, but just like GTO, its heart is in the right place.

KATE: I second both of MJ’s recommendations—GTO: 14 Days in Shonan for being much funnier than it has any right to be, and The Flowers of Evil for being more complex and real than Sundome, the manga it most closely resembles. If I had to choose one of the two, Flowers nudges out GTO simply because it’s weirder and less formulaic than 14 Days in Shonan. The ending of volume two is amazing—it gives new meaning to the term “blow-out”—and pushes the plot in a new and unexpected direction.

MICHELLE: I too recommend GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, but since that’s already been touted by my compatriots I will instead mention a title that’s due on August 7th according to Amazon, but which is absent from Midtown’s list, and that’s the debut volume of Lizzie Newton: Victorian Mysteries, a new manhwa coming from Seven Seas. I suppose its plot isn’t too original—headstrong lady is more interested in solving crime than in marrying advantageously—but it still sounds pretty fun to me!

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

SEAN: It’s another tiny, tiny week at Midtown Comics, with only four titles to choose from. Given that, I will go with Sakuran from Vertical, Inc., despite it also appearing on this list two weeks ago. Comic readers who enjoy Love & Rockets type fare should give this book a try, though. It’s complete in one volume, contains some fantastic art, and has a strong plotline showing us someone who could easily use her looks and intelligence to rise to the top, and does—in spite of all her best efforts. It’s fascinating and raw, and probably the best Moyoco Anno title I’ve read to date.

MJ: I’m with Sean. I’ve been eagerly anticipating Sakuran‘s release since Vertical announced it last fall, and it’s my must-read manga this week. I can hardly wait to pick this up.

MICHELLE: See above re; Sakuran!

KATE: Since I’ve already plugged Sakuran both here and at my own site, I’ll make a pitch for the third volume of CLAMP’s X. One of the things I like best about the new VIZ 3-in-1 edition is the trim size. CLAMP’s gorgeous, swirling linework and epic battles finally have enough room to breathe, allowing readers to appreciate just how detailed (and gory!) it really is. I’m also enjoying the omnibus format; with an enormous cast and a profusion of subplots, X is the kind of story that’s best read in large installments. (I can’t keep track of the Seals and Dragons otherwise!) It’s frustrating to know that this series still doesn’t have a proper conclusion, but when the page-by-page journey is so engrossing, I almost don’t care.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?