Pick of the Week

SEAN:  There’s so much stuff coming out this week that it’s simply impossible to narrow it down.  So I apologize to the 87 other Shojo Beat titles I’m passing up this time.  But I have to go with the 2nd volume of Shigeru Mizuki’s Showa, which does a fantastic job of showing just how appalling and grueling to everyone involved the Second World War really was, and also what a personal toll it took on Mizuki himself, even if he does try to present it as comedically as possible.  One of the best manga history/biographies I’ve ever read.

MICHELLE: I, too, have had a hard time making a pick this week. I narrowed it down to two, but in the end the 16th volume of Natsume’s Book of Friends (thoroughly excellent though it truly is) got edged out by volume 71 of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece. I mean, the fact that it’s still genuinely fun and exciting at volume freakin’ 71 surely qualifies it as a masterpiece, right?!

ASH: Well, since Sean has Showa covered, I think I’ll take this opportunity to pick one of this week’s debut titles: New Lone Wolf & Cub. Same author but with a different illustrator than the original, I know a lot of people who are excited for this series.

ANNA: There are so many good things coming out this week! I think I’ll have to highlight the rerelease of Millennium Snow just because it is so rare for a mangaka to go back and finish an unfinished series. (Excuse me for a minute while I give CLAMP the stinkeye over X/1999). I enjoyed Millennium Snow when it first came out, so the new omnibus followed by a third volume sounds like a treat to me.

MJ: I’m interested in pretty much everything that’s been mentioned so far, and had figured I’d put my vote behind the long-awaited third volume of Millennium Snow. But since Anna has taken care of that so nicely, I’ll give a little shout-out to the latest volume of Vertical’s Knights of Sidonia. I’ve been a fan of this beautifully-drawn, emotionally frenetic series since the beginning, and I’m always thrilled to pick up a new volume.

What looks good to you this week?

MICHELLE: Oh, jeez. Do I pick Goong, whose virtues I have extolled in the past, or My Little Monster, which includes a pet chicken. Aw, who am I kidding? Pet chickens all the way!

ANNA: I will pick Goong! I enjoy pet chickens as much as anyone, but manhwa soap opera is hard to resist.

ASH: I’m going with My Little Monster, too, and not just because of the pet chicken (though that certainly doesn’t hurt!) I enjoyed the first volume and am legitimately curious to see how the relationship between the two leads continues to develop.

SEAN: No question about my pick of the week: it’s the 20th volume of Soul Eater. We’ve got 6 volumes to the end now, so should be kicking into the final arc soon. And as I hinted in Manga the Week of, this volume may inspire nightmares.

MJ: So, despite the fact that “pet chickens” sounds almost as good as “talking cactus” (I say almost, because c’mon), I’m going stay true to my manhwa-loving heart and join Anna in choosing the 15th volume of Goong as my must-buy for the week. I have loved this series (and its difficult, bickering protagonists) for many years now, and I’m always happy to see them turn up on my doorstep, especially since Yen Press shifted to omnibus releases, making each volume substantial enough to tide me over ’til the next. Hurray for Goong!

What looks good to you this week?

SEAN: My pick of the Week is definitely the 10th volume of DMP’s Itazura Na Kiss. I know it’s bad for me. I know I will spend half the volume asking why Kotoko can’t think before she acts or apply herself to any chosen path. And I will spend the other half wondering how Naoki plans to be a doctor when he has all the empathy of a rock, and has the complete inability to understand how people with emotions might function. I will get annoyed and frustrated. But I don’t care. It’s Shoujo Manga Classic time.

MICHELLE: I don’t know how I could possibly describe the joys and frustrations of Itazura na Kiss better than Sean has done, so please allow me to say “me too, all the way!”

ANNA: I’m really torn, because this is one of those weeks where a ton of great manga is coming out! I’m happy to see Itazura Na Kiss being released in print again! Gangsta is becoming slightly addictive for me whenever I want a seinen fix. But since Itazura Na Kiss seems to be getting plenty of love I’m going to have to go with Volume 2 of What Did You Eat Yesterday?.

ASH: I’m torn this week, too, but since Anna chose What Did You Eat Yesterday? (which I’m looking forward to a great deal) I’ll pick Gangsta to make sure it gets on the list. It’s not so often you get a manga with such a diverse cast in addition to interesting characters and plenty of action. I enjoyed the first volume immensely.

MJ: I’ll go with Anna this week, because though I’m interested in these other series, there is really no option for me that could eclipse the second volume Fumi Yoshinaga’s What Did You Eat Yesterday? I finally picked up a copy of the first volume a week or so ago, and I’ll never wait that long again (yes, I pre-ordered volume two). This series is an amalgamation of everything I love best about Yoshinaga’s work—lovingly-written dialogue, charmingly believable relationships, and FOOD. This is a book I will likely consume the second it hits my front porch. It’s absolutely my week’s must-buy manga.

What looks good to you this week?

ANNA: Did you get your mother manga for Mother’s Day? Is it time to go shopping for yourself? There are a lot of mid-series volumes coming out this week, does one of them end up in your shopping bag? In the absence of any new series to pounce on, I’m probably going to have to highlight 07-Ghost which I’ve fallen shamefully behind on.

MICHELLE: Same here. I wish I could extoll its virtues more enthusiastically, but at least I haven’t given up on reading it someday!

ASH: There may be fewer manga to choose from this week, but one of those choices is Blade of the Immortal, so I’m happy!

SEAN: I’ll go with the debut of Monster Soul, which looks very shoneney.

MJ: I am also going to go with Monster Soul! As I mentioned in this week’s column, I so enjoyed Hiro Mashima as a person during his last appearance at New York Comic Con, I’ve regretted never really getting into his work. It seems to me that this is my chance!

What looks good to you this week?

MJ: I’m going to surprise myself a bit here by going for a title I hadn’t even heard about before this week’s column! That would be volume one of Whispered Words, out this week from One Peace Books. What this basically boils down to is that pretty much every yuri manga that Sean has ever recommended has turned out to be something I loved. So why would this be any different? This has quickly become my must-buy item for the week!

SEAN: Whispered Words is fantastic, and you won’t regret it, particularly as it gets more serious. Your picking it allows me, even though my real POTW is obviously that as well, to pick the final volume of Otomen. I’ve enjoyed mocking it almost as much as I have reading it, but the fact remains that this series has been filled with tons of funny, romantic, heartwarming moments about how men and women can do whatever the hell they want without worrying about gender roles. Also, Ryo. Ryo forever in my heart.

MICHELLE: It is Whispered Words 100% for me! I’d actually heard of Sasameki Koto, but missed the news of its license, so this is a very pleasant surprise for me, too. I hope it does well enough for One Peace to publish the full series.

SEAN: The 2nd omnibus, with Vols. 4-6 is scheduled for November and available for preorder! My guess is the last 3 volumes will be in a 3rd omnibus in Spring 2015.

MICHELLE: Ah, there it is! Somehow I missed it! Even more securely my pick of the week, then!

ANNA: It seems like everyone else has the yuri fans covered, but I couldn’t help noticing that there’s a great shoujo series ending with the 10th volume of Strobe Edge. This is one of those series that got better and better as it went along, and the concluding volume is very satisfying. It is my pick!

ASH: I’ll be joining Sean this week in picking the final volume of Aya Kanno’s Otomen for all of the reasons that he outlines. Also because Ryo carrying Asuka princess-style on the cover is one of the most perfect things ever. Hopefully the series has done well enough for Viz that the publisher might consider releasing more of Kanno’s work–I’ve particularly got my eye on her manga inspired by Shakespeare’s Richard III.

What looks good to you this week?

MJ: I’m the one with an obvious choice this week, so I’ll start things off by reiterating what I said in Wednesday’s column: xxxHolic, xxxHolic, xxxHolic! By now, everyone knows that I was an enormous fan of this series—of its glorious artwork, its dark tone, and its spaztastic hero, Watanuki. I am also one of the few fans of the series who did not hate the ending, or the major plot event that this new continuation seems to be ignoring. But hey, I’m fine with that, too! I’ll go along with anything that gives me more of this series. So bring it on, xxxHolic: Rei!

ANNA: I’m going to have to go with Vinland Saga, a manly manga about vikings killing people that manages to have really interesting characters and plot development along with the marauding.

SEAN: I enjoy supporting my local josei, or in this case my local shoujo/josei hybrid, so my pick is the first volume of Say “I Love You” from Kodansha. I reviewed it here. As you can see, I wasn’t over the moon about it, but rare is the shoujo series I fall in love with right away. Most take a few volumes to draw me in. I’m hoping this is the same.

MICHELLE: I’m definitely glad we’re getting more xxxHOLiC, but it feels a bit like cheating to pick it when I never managed to finish the original, so instead I’ll join Sean in picking Say “I Love You”. Honestly, I don’t know a great deal about it, but it’s new shoujo from Kodansha, and there really hasn’t been enough of that, so perhaps buying this will encourage them!

ASH: This week is an easy decision for me. I’m in total agreement with Anna. No question about it, my pick is Vinland Saga. With exciting battles and fantastic character development, the series is incredibly engaging and one of my favorite manga being released right now.

What looks good to you this week?

SEAN: Given I have the least surprising pick of the week, I guess I will go first. This is probably the last chance for me to urge you all to give Higurashi: When They Cry a try. Umineko has more depth, but also is a lot more depressing and filled with broken suffering people. Higurashi also has those people, but the entire story is about the power of friendship and learning to trust each other and managing to work past your issues and deal with your past without letting it rule you… or, in the case of Miyo Takano, letting it rule you after all. It’s been quite a ride. Let’s see how it ends.

ASH: I’m not sure if my pick will be surprising or not, but I’m going to go with the final volume of Bunny Drop. I loved the early series, and there are some great things about the later part, too, but it’s been a long time since a manga has been able to make me so incredibly angry. It wasn’t so much the direction that the story turned that upset me as it was how Unita handled it. I felt cheated. And yet I’m intensely curious about this volume of short stories.

MICHELLE: I have mixed feelings about how Bunny Drop turned out, certainly, but volume ten is still the only thing coming out this week that appeals to me, so I guess it’s my pick by default.

MJ: My pick may indeed be surprising, but I’m leaning overwhelmingly toward the first volume of the light novel series Sword Art Online. I do not watch much anime, but my husband introduced me to the anime adaptation of this series (available on Crunchyroll, for those who might be interested), and I absolutely loved it—particularly the first arc, “Aincrad,” which is the subject of this novel. Though the series’ second arc features more “damsel in distress” than I would like, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to re-experience my favorite storyline in its original format. I’m so glad to see this being published in English!

What looks good to you this week?

ASH: There’s plenty of variety in the manga being released this week and quite a few titles I’m interested in, all of which are very different from one another. Each volume of the dystopic No. 6 is better than the last, Dorohedoro continues to somehow be both incredibly dark and incredibly charming, and I’m very glad to see the next volume of Sunny, too. However, the manga that I’m probably most curious about this week is the debut of Utako Yukihiro and Madoka Takadono’s Devils and Realist.

SEAN: There’s a lot to love this week, and yes, someone pick Dorohedoro for me, because I can’t resist the magnetic pull of A Certain Scientific Railgun. This current plot has removed all the allies that Misaka has, leaving her on her own against a powerful enemy. Supposedly this is the work of fellow 5-th level Misaki (don’t you hate it when romanization leaves you with two almost identical names?), but is she the real enemy here? Yes, there’s some annoying fanservice with Kuroko, though her amnesia should tone that down, and yes, I suspect Touma may save the day again. Still, if you like kickass teen girls with esper powers, here’s where to get them.

ANNA: I have to admit, my mind has not been on manga recently because I’ve been embarking on a massive reread of Ed Brubaker’s Captain America series, and I am probably most anticipating Winter Soldier fighting giant bear Ursa Major in a gulag in Captain America: Prisoner of War. But on the manga side of things I have to say that I’m most interested in Sunny volume 3 and the new series Devils and Realist. I think I’m going to have to go with Devils and Realist because the lure of the new! All shiny and full of potential! (Also Winter Soldier FOREVER!)

MJ: I was all set to go with volume three of Sunny this week. It’s a series I’ve loved wholeheartedly since its debut volume, and it’s hard to imagine what could top it. Trouble is, I admit I’ve been lured—lured by my beloved Comic Zero-Sum and Seven Seas’ Devils and Realist. While I’m still skeptical that anything described (by Sean last week) as resembling Black Butler could truly be to my liking, I can’t help wanting to find out. Has Seven Seas finally got my number? We shall see!

MICHELLE: I could be daring and go for something new, but I’m reasonably certain that any time Sunny is an option, I’m going to go for it. It’s so well done, heart-warming and funny and thoughtful and all those good things. I really cannot recommend it more highly.

What looks good to you this week?

MICHELLE: Since I don’t have too many more chances to plug it, I’ll cast my vote for the second-to-last volume of Dawn of Arcana. I’ve really enjoyed this shoujo fantasy series, especially how the relationship between the romantic leads has developed. It definitely has a better plot than I was expecting, and I think it has reread potential.

ASH: My pick of the week goes to Ayano Yamane’s smutty and surprisingly humorous boys’ love fantasy Crimson Spell. With the third volume we’ve now reached the part of the manga that has never been seen before in English! I’m still very happy that SuBLime rescued this series.

ANNA: I’ll have to second Michelle’s choice. Dawn of the Arcana is a great shoujo series that should be more hyped up!

SEAN: I’m going with Magi again. I’ve always been a huge Arabian Nights fan, and this pastiche is a lot of fun, particularly now that they’ve added Sinbad.

MJ: My only strong choice this week is the eighth volume of Tsutomu Nihei’s Knights of Sidonia, out this week from Vertical. So often this manga is referred to as “confusing,” but I rather like the way that Nihei manages to lead me ever forward, not always with clarity so much as control. I am compelled as though in a dream, and that works for me stunningly well, as it turns out. I’ll be sticking with this series for the long haul.

What looks good to you this week?

MICHELLE: I’m going to have to go with volume eleven of Library Wars: Love & War this week. I still struggle with the overall premise and the depiction of a supposedly elite military unit, but I can’t help but enjoy each volume and the slow burn of Iku’s growing relationship with her commanding officer. It’s become a series I genuinely look forward to.

SEAN: Since Michelle got Library Wars… it’s rare I recommend a pick of the week that I don’t actually read, but really, the release of Eden: It’s An Endless World 14 is really exciting. The story of a world in chaos following a worldwide pandemic, it’s incredibly well-written, and also filled with depressing things happening to nice people, so naturally I couldn’t get through it, because I never read that sort of series. Except when I do. In any case, many people I respect love this, so check it out.

ANNA: I am also very fond of Library Wars, but since Michelle already gave it a shout-out, I’m going to have to go with the Hana Kimi omnibus. Sure, a plucky cross-dressing heroine and a surly yet secretly empathetic hero have been done to death in shoujo manga, but Hana Kimi is one of the best examples. I’ve kept the series on hand since it came out for my every third year ritual rereads, and I enjoy it every time.

ASH: Well, because Library Wars has already been mentioned several times I guess that instead I’ll choose…wait, who am I kidding? I’m still going to pick Library Wars. I’m enjoying the series much more than I actually think I should be. Maybe it’s because I’m a librarian myself, but I get a kick out of the manga’s version of librarianship. It’s certainly one of the more unusual portrayals that I’ve come across.

MJ: So, apparently I’m the only person at Manga Bookshelf who does not read Library Wars. And really, I wish I did, because there isn’t a lot strongly compelling me otherwise this week. I will take a moment, though, to give a shout out to the 4th omnibus edition of Lone Wolf and Cub. I missed this classic the first time around, and have been very grateful to get a second chance at it—especially in its new, larger format! Readable text becomes so much more important to me as my poor eyes get older. If, like me, you never gave the original editions of Lone Wolf and Cub a try, now’s the time to start!

What looks good to you this week?

SEAN: There’s a lot of great things coming out this week – some of which I even forgot to put in my weekly post! (Sorry, Wolf Children, I’ll get to you next week.) That said, there’s only one title that’s *the* Pick of the Week, and that’s Vertical’s debut of long-awaited seinen manga What Did You Eat Yesterday?, from Fumi Yoshinaga. The story of a couple and their daily lives and meals, it’s a story with two gay men that isn’t “Boys’ Love” as we know it. Can’t wait to read this one.

MICHELLE: I think I’ve been pestering publishers to license this one for about seven years, so yes. Pick of the Week. Possibly Pick of the Decade.

ANNA: No argument from me, I’m also very much looking forward to this manga!

ASH: No arguments here, either. I’m very excited for the release of What Did You Eat Yesterday? and have been looking forward to it ever since the license was announced by Vertical. Actually, like Michelle, this is a series that I’ve been clamoring for for years. I’m thrilled that we’re finally getting it in English!

MJ: I honestly can’t think of a title I’ve wished for more than this one—and it’s obviously not just me! This title has inspired heartfelt pleas from both Manga Bookshelf columnist Travis Anderson and the Battle Robot’s much-missed left leg, David Welsh. I’ve waxed eloquent many times over Fumi Yoshinaga’s particular talents with slice-of-life dialogue, food, and gay characters, and given that this manga includes all three, my only occasional worry has been that I’ve built it up too much in my own head for even Yoshinaga to live up to. I can’t wait to find out. Thank you, Vertical, for bringing us this manga!

What looks good to you this week?

MICHELLE: Probably I should pick something actually new, especially something as great as Vagabond, but as the cliché goes… the heart wants what the heart wants, and my heart wants xxxHOLiC to be back in print! In fact, my heart is even going “woo!” a bit at the prospect.

ANNA: I feel like it would be both a moral and ethical failing to not pick something as great as Vagabond, so that is my pick!

SEAN: I had issues with Negima ending, so I’m interested to see how it gets fixed, or indeed how much UQ Holder will mention Negima at all. In any case, I can’t quite quit Ken Akamatsu, so it’s my pick of the week.

ASH: I’m with Anna this week; Vagabond all the way!

MJ: I’ll bring things full circle, I guess, because though I’m looking forward to several of this week’s releases (okay, mostly March Story), my heart is decidedly with Michelle and the re-release of xxxHOLiC. On this rare occasion (and also for Michelle’s sake) I’ll even go along with the ridiculously random capitalization in the title. I’ve been a devoted fan of this series longer than I’ve been a manga blogger. In fact, it was the first CLAMP series I ever fell for, eventually leading me down a a path of no return. I can’t claim to love everything CLAMP has ever written—or even everything they wrote in xxxHOLiC, but without it (and them) my manga experience would be somehow lacking. I’m happy to see this series back in print!

What looks good to you this week?

ASH: There’s a fair amount of manga being released this week, and quite a few titles that I’m particularly interested in. In the end though, I think my pick of the week will have to go to the third volume in Kohta Hirano’s Drifters. The last volume was released in 2012, so it’s been quite a while since I’ve read any of the series. However, I distinctly remember being highly entertained by Drifters. It doesn’t always make a lot of sense and it can be fairly over-the-top, but the battles are engaging and I do get a kick out of series as a whole. It does help to have at least some passing familiarity with the historical figures that Hirano borrows for his story, though.

ANNA: I’m going to have to go with the reissue of Ranma 1/2 as I have fond memories of the manga and anime way back in the 90s.

SEAN: Given I’ve already reviewed all three of Kodansha’s debuts this week, I feel safe in agreeing with Anna. Ranma 1/2 is ingrained deep into my bones, for good and for bad, and reading it again will no doubt fill me with memories, horror at how flat the characterization is, amusement at the amazing stupidity of every flat character, and pain as I remember all the shipping wars and Akane bashing. It’s 1996 all over again, folks!

MICHELLE: While I have a modicum of interest in My Little Monster and Arata: The Legend, add me to the Ranma 1/2 train. For some reason, I’ve never read this manga, despite ample opportunities to do so, so it’s kinda nice getting to do so from the start with unflipped art, which I was a bit too early to benefit from where Inu-Yasha was concerned. My expectations for it are pretty low; I’m just going in to enjoy a classic.

MJ: Though I have some interest in everything that’s been mentioned here so far, there’s nothing that compels me quite as strongly as the latest 3-in-1 edition of Fullmetal Alchemist. Volumes 19-21, which are contained in this omnibus, are particularly dramatic and revealing (and in the context of a series like Fullmetal Alchemist, that says a lot), and show off Arakawa’s skills as a storyteller extremely well. Fullmetal Alchemist is one of those series where I found myself continuously re-evaluating what I thought the story was about as Arakawa slowly revealed its core, and the experience was thrilling. If you haven’t yet treated yourself to this experience, I urge you to start now!

What looks good to you this week?

SEAN: There’s a heck of a lot of stuff here, almost too much to choose from. Therefore I will go with an old favorite, because I am lazy like that. It’s the rare manga series in America that can hit its 70th volume and show no signs of stopping, and One Piece is that manga series. More than any other, I think this title exemplifies all the good qualities of shonen manga – and, yes, a few of the bad ones, as Nami and Robin’s figures have expanded to ludicrous proportions over the years. But oh well. Pirates! Comedy! Creepy poison power villains! Give me 70 more volumes after this! (No, don’t do that, pleads Viz.)

MICHELLE: I do love me some One Piece, but I really can’t pass up my final chance to pick Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden, which finally comes to an end this week with its twelfth volume. (It’s been a year since volume eleven.) It’s got all the drama of the original, but Watase has matured a lot as a storyteller, which leaves me hopeful that she’ll allow tragic events to unfold without some kind of cheery retcon or presumably editor-mandated continuation to the story. And, of course, I can’t pass up this last opportunity to hope for Byakko Kaiden someday!

ASH: My pick of the week goes to Inio Asano’s Nijigahara Holograph. The previews that I’ve seen have been beautiful, dark, and disconcerting. Fantagraphics’ hardcover manga are gorgeous, too, easily making Nijigahara Holograph one of my most anticipated releases for the year.

ANNA: I’m torn, because I want to read Nijigahara Holograph as soon as I can, and it has been a very long time since we’ve had new manga from Asano to enjoy. But I’m going to team up with Michelle and highlight Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden. It took a long time for the series to be completed, but Watase can do shoujo adventure romance like no one else. I’m also holding out hope for the Byakko storyline!

MJ: I’m extremely anxious to read the final volume of Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden, but I think this week I have to go along with Ash and Nijigahara Holograph. I first encountered Inio Asano’s work by way of Solanin, which has been one of those rare manga that sticks with me over time, cropping up in my mind at surprising moments. Add to that my very positive feelings about the line of manga Matt Thorn has curated for Fantagraphics, and Nijigahara Holograph becomes the obvious choice.

What looks good to you this week?

MJ: It’s a slowish week for new manga releases, but there is at least one release I’m greatly looking forward to. To be more specific, I’m talking about Insufficient Direction, Moyoco Anno’s comic about her relationship with husband (and famous anime director) Hideaki Anno, out this week from Vertical. I was surprised by a few bits of Moyoco Anno’s personality when I interviewed her a couple of years ago at NYCC, and I expect to be surprised further by this (presumably humorous) look into her personal life. This is a must-buy for me this week!

ASH: Insufficient Direction is a must for me this week as well! I love Moyoco Anno’s manga (so much so that I hosted the Moyoco Anno Manga Moveable Feast last year) and am thrilled that we’re seeing more of her work released in English.

MICHELLE: I have a feeling this one might be unanimous! Insufficient Direction for me as well!

ANNA: I’m going to pick this too!

SEAN: Yup, it’s unanimous. Insufficient Direction for me as well.

What looks good to you this week?