Pick of the 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?

SEAN: Yeah, it’s Vertical again. Sorry, but josei from Vertical has proven to be something to be cherished in the past, and I’m not expecting that to change with the release of Helter Skelter: Fashion Unfriendly. I expect this to be a somewhat different take on modeling from what we saw in Paradise Kiss. Good times.

MICHELLE: There are a couple of things out next week that I’ll definitely be reading—Bunny Drop 9 and Pandora Hearts 17—but I’ll not miss the chance to rally behind a done-in-one josei release. Count me in for Helter Skelter, too!

ANNA: I’m going to have to pick Helter Skelter too, because new josei from Vertical makes me happy.

MJ: I have to agree with everyone else here. I’ve been interested in this title since Vertical first announced it, and it’s absolutely my must-buy for the week. There’s nothing else that comes close.

What looks good to you this week?

MICHELLE: This week, I’m awarding my pick to the second volume of Shoko Hidaka’s Blue Morning. As I wrote back in June, “Complex, dark, and a bit twisted, Blue Morning is the best BL I’ve read so far this year.” With praise like that, you can bet I’ll be back for volume two!

ANNA: There’s a ton of manga coming out this week, but I think that what looks most interesting is the latest Tezuka release, Triton of the Sea. I think it is great that we’re getting so many manga translated from this prolific author.

SEAN: This week hurts my soul, with a promising manga debut I’ve wanted to see for ages in Magi, and one of my favorite experimental series in Dorohedoro also coming out. But I have to stay true to my core principles, otherwise I’m just no good as a man. Thus I have to pick Excel Saga this week. It’s arrived at the climax of the entire story, and is actually getting around to giving us answers. Well, some answers. I absolutely cannot wait.

MJ: Well, okay, my first choice this week is probably Blue Morning, as I loved the first volume quite a lot. But since Michelle has already spotlighted it so nicely, I’ll give my vote to the sixth and final omnibus volume of CLAMP’s X. These large-trim omnibus editions have turned me around on this series to a rather stunning extent, mainly on the strength of its gorgeous, shoujo-rific artwork. Viz’s omnibus collection is a must-have for any fan of CLAMP, or frankly any fan of early 90s shoujo. It’s a mess, in many ways, but it’s a beautiful, beautiful mess.

What looks good to you this week?

MICHELLE: There’s a lot of good stuff coming out this week, but since I only get to do this once a year… my pick of the week goes to volume 21 of Kaze Hikaru. Even though this particular volume disappoints me just a little (see today’s briefs column!) the series still ranks among my favorites.

ANNA: If someone else hadn’t picked Kaze Hikaru, I would have gone with that! So I will pick the first volume of Happy Marriage?! because I am always ready to celebrate new josei titles.

SEAN: It’s gotta be Kitaro for me. Ever since I first saw an anime adaptation at Otakon in 1999, I’ve been fascinated by this series. Kitaro, the mostly stoic boy hero; his father, who is an eyeball with legs; his not-quite-girlfriend Neko Musume, and most importantly, Nezumi Otoko, the worst friend ever. Creepy yokai galore. It’s gonna be great.

MJ: This is a tough week, for sure. I do like to applaud endings, so it’s difficult to pass on the final volume of Bakuman, especially now that I’ve begun to care about its primary romance, and I’m interested in all the titles listed here, as well as the second omnibus edition of Lone Wolf and Cub. But I’ll give my vote to volume four of Tsutomu Nihei’s Knights of Sidonia, out this week from Vertical. It’s got everything I could want in a mecha series, which is to say, everything I could want in any series—action, complicated characterization, heartbreak, and truly stunning artwork. I’m all in for Knights of Sidonia.

What looks good to you this week?

SEAN: There’s a few interesting items this week, but none catches my attention more than Picturebox’s Last of the Mohicans, by Shigeru Sugiura. I’ll admit, I find the original Fenimore Cooper to be absolutely wretched. But I’m always up for a good adaptation, especially if it’s by an artist known to be as surreal as Sugiura was. Who knows, perhaps Natty Bumppo will be killed off horribly or something. In any case, this is a rare case where I know next to nothing about the content but am still excited to see it.

MICHELLE: And I know next to nothing about Tezuka’s Twin Knights, but I’ll still name it as my Pick of the Week. I really wanted to like Princess Knight more than I did, and I’m hopeful that somehow this sequel (though it actually came out before the remake we got here) will avoid some of the more problematic ideas, like female hearts being weak. I hope I don’t hope in vain!

ANNA: I’ll also throw in for Twin Knights as it is the manga from this week that I see myself reading soon!

MJ: Though I, too, have high hopes for Twin Knights, I’ll go with Sean’s choice, Shigeru Sugiura’s adaptation of Last of the Mohicans! I’m fascinated by everything I’ve heard about Sugiura’s art style, and though I’m skeptical about this story in particular, I’m willing to give it a try. It’s a unique opportunity, and I don’t intend to miss it.

What looks good to you this week?

MJ: It’s a bit of a slow week for new manga, since we looked at Yen Press’ releases last week, but I still have a clear pick in the mix. I’m all in for the final volume of Keiko Suenobu’s Limit, out this week from Vertical. I’ve been on the edge of my seat since the very beginning, and the tension could not be higher as we go into this last volume. It’s rare that a short series like this packs such a punch. It’s the one and only pick for me this week.

ANNA: I will throw in for Limit as well. Looking forward to catching up on this series!

SEAN: Yeah, Limit 6 for me as well. Its overblown melodrama is its greatest weakness, but also its biggest strength.

What looks good to you this week?

MICHELLE: This week’s manga is full of tempting omnibus editions! I think I’ll cast my vote for the series that we haven’t talked about a great deal on Manga Bookshelf lately, since it finished its initial run in late 2011, and that would be Fullmetal Alchemist. Reading the series in multi-volume chunks really is best—I actually marathoned the whole thing for an Off the Shelf column celebrating the series—and I’m delighted that new audiences might be able to discover the series and keep us talking about it!

SEAN: I agree that my favorite out of this week’s group would be FMA, but since that’s been chosen, I am left with a few “huh, that’s not too shabby” picks. I suppose I will go with Vol. 2 of Tiger & Bunny, which interested me far more than I expected when I read it last. It’s Japan’s take on Marvel-style superheroes, but it’s also very fond of biting the corporate hand that feeds it. I expect things may get a little more serious with this second volume…

MJ: There are so many books for me to get excited about this week, including Fullmetal Alchemist, Flowers of Evil, and of course the latest Loveless omnibus! But I’ll give my vote this week to the second and final omnibus edition of CLAMP’s Tokyo Babylon, out this week from Dark Horse. Everyone knows by now that this is my favorite CLAMP series, and Dark Horse’s new editions with their refreshed English adaptation and big, fancy trim size have already impressed me quite a bit. I’ve had this on pre-order for months, and I can’t wait for it to arrive. It’s this week’s must-buy for me!

What looks good to you this week?

MICHELLE: Calm but carnivorous giant space hippos. Fanciful and imaginative landscapes. Terrible carnage at a poodle ranch. A cute, fluffy, and cheerful alien protagonist who keeps falling for all the wrong girls. If any of these absurd notions appeal to you, then you need to be reading Junko Mizuno’s Little Fluffy Gigolo PELU, the second volume of which is due next week after a three-year hiatus. I really enjoyed the first volume and am positively asquee that volume two is here at last!

SEAN: For me it’s going to be Oresama Teacher 14. Only Excel Saga makes me laugh more than this ridiculous shoujo comedy, which actually could be shifted over to a shonen magazine without needing to change even one thing – it’s filled with goofy fights, wacky misunderstandings, and healing broken teenagers though the power of stupidity. Love it to bits.

MJ: Since Michelle has already given her pick to my likely first choice, PELU, I’ll take this opportunity to give a boost to this week’s other new offering from Last Gasp, The Strange Case of Panorama Island, Suehiro Maruo’s manga adaptation of the popular novel by Edogawa Rampo. I’ll be the first to admit that “underground” manga is pretty hit or miss with me—and most often miss. It seems so often that “underground,” at least what’s advertised as such here, translates to “obsessed with shock value for its own sake,” which usually ends up being empty in most other ways. But a look at this video about the book from Last Gasp is all it takes for me to put my money on “hit” this time around. That lush artwork is more than enough to lure me in. I’m sold!

What looks good to you this week?

SEAN: Um, Gundam the Origin, pretty much. As for why, see my Manga the Week of post.

MICHELLE: Yep, Gundam: The Origin for me, too. With the exception of Fairy Tail (and I’m so far behind on that), nothing else this week interests me.

ANNA: Gundam: The Origin forever!!!!!

MJ: I’m right there with you. This week, it’s all about Gundam, and really it’s not due to the lack of competition. Though I wish the series was a bit more character-driven rather than plot-driven, its stunning artwork is enough to keep me coming back for more.

What looks good to you this week?

MJ: My obvious pick this week would be volume 16 of Pandora Hearts, and I am sure that’s what everyone expects (you can read about how much I love this volume in today’s Bookshelf Briefs). But sometimes it’s the unknown that has the greatest allure, and I’ll admit that I’m most anxious to get a look at Asumiko Nakamura’s Utsubora: the Story of a Novelist, out this week from Vertical. I’ve had a shaky relationship with Vertical’s titles from Manga Erotics F—the magazine this title comes from—but Vertical’s track record with me overall is pretty stunning (and the magazine has housed some of my favorites as well), so I’m more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Familiar favorites are a wonderful thing, but nothing beats the mystery of the unknown. I can’t wait to see what this manga has in store!

MICHELLE: I was so sure that you were going to pick Pandora Hearts that I was all set to pick Utsubora myself. I’m definitely looking forward to checking it out, but I’ll go ahead and give Pandora Hearts my official love, as I’m really looking forward to getting caught up with that one.

SEAN: I’m deciding to go with the manga that’s down to a yearly release rather than the quarterly one, so despite my Higurashi obsession, my pick of the week is for GA Art Design Class. There’s an awful lot of 4-koma series about girls in high school out there, and this is one of the ones that makes me smile the most. The cast is amusing in just the right amount, it’s filled with cute, funny and heartwarming moments, and it’s taught me a hell of a lot about art. It’s likely not for you unless you enjoy moe 4-koma manga, but if you do it’s one of the best.

ANNA: I’m also going to have to throw in my vote for Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist simply because it is the only manga this week that I felt compelled to pre-order! The premise about an upcoming novelist who is suddenly found dead also sounds very intriguing. I think a bit of mystery will balance my usual shoujo and sci-fi manga reading habits.

What looks good to you this week?

SEAN: My pick of the week is definitely the omnibus edition of Morinaga Milk’s Kisses, Sighs and Cherry Blossom Pink, a collection of short stories (complete in one volume here) revolving around an all-girls’ school that the artist wrote for Yuri Hime magazine before moving on to the slightly more lucrative waters of Futabasha, where they created the similar Girl Friends. (Indeed, I think the 2nd half has Comic High! stories.) I seem to recall that, since it focuses on several young couples, this volume is allowed to have a more varied shape of story – including some where the ending isn’t so happy. For yuri fans, or even those who just like cute romance, this is a great pick up.

MJ: Wow, this is a tough week! With new volumes of such a wide variety of favorites tugging at my sleeves, from Knights of Sidonia to Demon Love Spell, it’s difficult to know what to choose! But in the end, I’ll go with Dark Horse’s new omnibus edition of the classic series Lone Wolf and Cub, which I’m experiencing now for the first time. Michelle and I both read it for yesterday’s Off the Shelf, and I was stunned by how quickly 700 pages could fly by. It’s tense, action-packed, and incredibly thought-provoking. I’ve become an instant fan!

ANNA: I’ll have to go with Skip Beat 31, it is my absolute favorite long-running shoujo series currently coming out. The Heel siblings storyline has really reinvigorated the book, placing Kyoko and Ren in some interesting and unexpected situations, showing how they continue to develop their acting and insight into each other.

MICHELLE: I really liked Lone Wolf and Cub and I’m looking forward to reading Kisses, Sighs, and Cherry Blossom Pink and a bunch of the VIZ stuff, but the heart wants what the heart wants. And what my heart wants is Skip Beat!.

What looks good to you this week?

MJ: I’m sure this will come as no surprise, but pretty much regardless of whatever else is on the list this week, I’ve gotta go with the final volume of GTO: 14 Days in Shonan. I have loved this series more than I thought I could love a thing about a surprisingly badass sort-of-loser like Onizuka. He’s got my number, and as much as I’m mourning that this is the final volume, I really can’t wait to see how it ends. This little series has been my first exposure to the GTO universe, and I’m grateful to Vertical for picking it up. It’s absolutely this week’s must-buy!

SEAN: MJspeaks for me. Onizuka has my sword. And my bow, come to think of it.

MICHELLE: I feel sort of bad picking GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, seeing as how I’m so far behind on it, but the truth of the matter is that I have no interest in Air Gear or an erotic bookstore, have never read Mardock Scramble, and am even farther behind on Fairy Tail, so GTO it is! That may not sound like a ringing endorsement, but I really do enjoy the series. I’m just perhaps not the most qualified person to champion it at the moment.

What looks good to you this week?