Osamu Tezuka

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Posts Tagged Bunny Drop

On The Shelf: August 21, 2013

On The Shelf: August 21, 2013

It looks like Otakuthon was a lot of fun this year. I’ve always wanted to try going, but just haven’t planned it yet. Maybe 2014? Good excuse to take the train! I love our sad, barely running little train system.

As for manga, this week I’m most looking forward to Bunny Drop (Vol. 09) from Yen Press. This volume wraps up the main story and is the book long criticized for its ending. I’m so conflicted by the idea alone. On one hand (no spoilers!), yuck. On the other? Maybe Yumi Unita can make it less yuck? We’ll soon see.

No. 6 (Vol. 02) from Kodansha Comics is also a must-buy after enjoying the first so much, plus the anime adaptation. Yen Press is starting a new series with Judge (Vol. 01), the sequel to Doubt, and Viz Media is releasing the long-awaited Ikigami: Ultimate Limit (Vol. 09). At last!

Also work a note is this week’s Shonen Jump. Because the magazine is on holiday in Japan, there are no new chapters but Viz Media also released a special Naruto art book in its place. I’m not a Naruto reader myself, but it’s great they still put together something. My fingers are crossed they do the same for future holidays – I’d love a cover art collection of other series, such as Toriko, Bleach or Dragonball.

Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Omnibus (Vol. 02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
BTOOOM! (Vol. 03) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Bunny Drop (Vol. 09) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Ikigami: Ultimate Limit (Vol. 09) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Judge (Vol. 01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
No. 6 (Vol. 02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Pokemon Adventures: Heart Gold & Soul Silver (Vol. 01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Puella Magi Kazumi Magica: The Innocent Malice (Vol. 02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Umineko When They Cry: Turn of the Golden Witch (Vol. 02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]


Otaku USA: On The Shelf – April 24, 2013

Otaku USA: On The Shelf - April 24, 2013

I’ve been pretty busy lately working on a number of freelance projects (websites, comics and launches, oh my!), but I’m never too busy for checking out the new manga. This week has some notables I’ve recently read and really enjoyed, such as Black Butler (Vol.13) and X (Vol.05).

You can read my thoughts on this week’s manga over at my On The Shelf article for Otaku USA. Enjoy! And I’ll be back~

Alice in the Country of Hearts: My Fanatic Rabbit (Vol.02)  [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Black Butler (Vol.13)  [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Bunny Drop (Vol.08)  [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Crimson Empire: Circumstances to Serve a Noble (Vol.01)  [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Doubt Omnibus (Vol.01)  [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Flowers of Evil (Vol.05)  [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Is This A Zombie? (Vol.04)  [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Knights of Sidonia (Vol.02)  [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Vol.15)  [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Pandora Hearts (Vol.15)  [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Punch Up! (Vol.04)  [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
X 3-in-1 (Vol.05)  [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]


Otaku USA: On The Shelf – November 14, 2012

Otaku USA: On The Shelf - November 12, 2012

It’s week two of wow-is-there-ever-a-lot-of-new-manga-coming-out-this-month (aka, November). There’s a lot of variety this week too – new books, old books, back-from-the-dead books, boys’ love, shonen, 4-koma, shoujo,  whatever the heck Excel Saga is, and more! Ahhh, I wish I could afford them all!

You can read my thoughts on a number of this week’s books over at Otaku USA’s On The Shelf article.

07 Ghost (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Arons Absurd Armada Omnibus (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Bad Teachers’ Equation (Vol.05) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Blood Blockade Battlefront (Vol.03) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Bunny Drop (Vol.07) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Cross Game (Vol.08) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Excel Saga (Vol.24) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Inu-Yasha VizBIG (Vol.13) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan (Vol.06) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Missions of Love (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Nabari no Ou (Vol.12) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Neon Genesis Evangelion 3-in-1 (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Omamori Himari (Vol.09) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Rin-Ne (Vol.10) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Secret Thorns [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro (Vol.03) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Sleepless Nights [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Soul Eater (Vol.11) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Soul Eater Not! (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Spice and Wolf (Vol.07) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Start With A Happy Ending (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Umineko When They Cry: Golden Witch (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]

Note: Links on the site are affiliation links for Kuriousity with any and all proceeds from them going towards our hosting fees.


Otaku USA: On The Shelf – August 22, 2012

Otaku USA: On The Shelf - August 22, 2012

It’s the week of threes! I have three top picks out of the manga this week and all are the third volumes of their respective series – Countdown 7 Days (Vol.03), Replica (Vol.03) and Gate 7 (Vol.03). All three are also some of the best manga eye-candy out there to my tastes right now so I expect lots of oogling will happen tonight. So, so pretty.

For the full list of titles available in stores and retail sites this week, check out my On The Shelf article for Otaku USA.


Review: Bunny Drop (Vol. 06)

Bunny Drop (Vol. 06)

Manga-ka: Yami Unita
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: August 2012

Synopsis: “As Daikichi continues to juggle work with raising a teenager, Rin struggles with the relationship between her and Kouki, her childhood friend. The last ten years have brought about a variety of changes to their friendship—some subtle, some not so. Kouki may always have been head over heels for Rin, but the choices he’s made in the past seem to have put a wedge between them. And when a scorned ex sets her sights anew on Rin as the object of her rage, the tricks up this girl’s sleeve threaten to nip Kouki’s potential romance with Rin in the bud for good. As Rin’s sixteenth birthday approaches, will there be cause for celebration? Or will Daikichi have a crisis of the heart on his hands?!”

The previous volume of Bunny Drop really disappointed me. Here we had an utterly charming series about a single, middle-age man adopting a little girl and learning how to care for her. In volume five, we had a time jump that took us forward to the child, Rin, now being a teenager. Volume six doesn’t do anything like take us back to those more charming and educational days (save for a few flashbacks) but at least now that we’re over the shock of the transition, we can appreciate the story more for what it’s become. Still, teenage school drama, haven’t we seen it all?

Read more…


Swag Bag: Very Merry Month of Manga In April – No Foolin’!

Swag Bag: April 2012

It’s the return of Swag Bag! In this once-was-weekly article I give a quick rundown of the books I bought that week and some brief thoughts, be it itty-bitty reviews if I’ve read them or first impressions if I haven’t. Since it’s been a long while since I’ve written one, this one is going to recap all my April purchases instead of just one week’s… so it’s a bit long. As always I encourage readers to share their recent purchases in the comments section!

Kamisama Kiss (Vol.08)I continued a few of my on-going shonen series with Viz Media‘s Blue Excorcist (Vol.07), Bleach (Vol.39) and Bakuman (Vol.10), the latter of which has just ended in Japan. Much as I wish sometimes series I like would go on forever, it’s comforting knowing there’s an end in sight. Kamisama Kiss (Vol.08) and Dawn of the Arcana (Vol.03) gave me a Shojo Beat fix, though I’m still not quite sure if I even like Dawn of the Arcana. Maybe now I’ll find out? So tricky to tell.

Arisa (Vol.07) was a quick-to-buy volume. I really like this series, though it is going on far too long. Suspense is one thing but get to the reveals already! And I hope comatose sister wakes up soon… I suppose I shouldn’t complain much about suspense in that kind of story after I finish reading 20th Century Boys (Vol.20). If you want a master of comic suspense, you need look no further than Naoki Usawara. So much suspense, all the time, and while sometimes it’s almost painful how much the story plays on that, it’s completely worth it. Definitely one of my favourites.

Digital Manga and Yen Press are publishing some of my other favourite currently running series, the kind that nestle neatly between the genres of shonen and shoujo. Of those I bought Black Butler (Vol.09), Countdown: 7 Days (Vol.02), Replica (Vol.02) and Durarara!! (Vol.02). I was surprised to see Durarara!! has a shiny gold finish on the cover letters; pleasantly surprised, of course. It’s a neat addition that hopefully means well for the book’s sales. It deserves them too, this series is great and I’m really glad it’s been licensed so I can finally read what all the fuss was about.

Speaking of high quality releases, Yen Press’s English edition of A Bride’s Story – WOW. It always amazes me how good it looks, not to mention of course how gorgeous the artwork is. It’s a beautiful piece of work all around. I was thrilled this month to pick up a copy of volume three. I also bought Bunny Drop (Vol.04) which is the start of the series’ time-skip to cute little Rin now being a teenager. So far my opinion on it is very… meh. Actually it’s more like, ‘I wish I’d stopped at three’. So sad.

Continuingly getting better however is Sailor Moon! Kodansha Comics recently released the fourth volume and while it was a little painfully episodic (one character after another being kidnapped), it had a lot of good Tuxedo Mask character development that the anime barely scratched the surface of. It makes me really like him as a character and even his relationship with Usagi more too. On the opposite end of the likeability scale are the characters of Itazura na Kiss (Vol.08) – why am I still reading this series!? Classic shoujo or not, the cons of the non-existant relationship are far outweighing the funny moments. Bleh.

Osamu Tezuka's DororoThankfully there were other omnibus to buy that were able to almost completely wash the ick of Itazura away – Vertical Inc’s Dororo (by Osamu Tezuka! and over 800 pages!) and Viz Media’s Cross Game (Vol.07). Cross Game has easily become one of my favourite comic series I’ve ever read – I get completely engrossed reading every volume. It’s just so good! The ability to make the everyday incrediably compelling and interesting is a skill Mitsuru Adachi definitely has. Another series that makes rather boring activities still charming to read is Seven Seas‘ Blood Alone (Vol.06). Don’t let the word vampire turn you off this one, it’s really sweet and has some good action sequences that are pretty realistic in their execution. Nothing too over the top and thus refreshingly believable.

This past week I also purchased my first digital manga volumes after buying myself an iPad (oh my credit card, it weeps!). Printed-versions are still my much preferred, but with some publishers now offering titles we’ll only ever see legally available in English via digital, I’d rather read them digitally than not at all. The iPad’s big screen and crisp graphics also offers a really nice reading experience, which I hope to go into with more detail at a later date.

After looking through different manga purchasing options, including Yen Press, Viz Media and Digital Manga’s apps, the site that earned my money was SuBLime – Viz Media’s new boys’ love publishing arm. The company sells digital copies you can then either read through your web browser on their website or download as a PDF to read however you digitally-please. This flexibility plus the tidy $5.99 price tag won me over. I bought three one-shots – Devil’s Honey, Oku-san’s Daily Fantasies and The Bed of My Dear King. All three were enjoyable in their own ways and I plan to share how and why soon.

…and that was my manga buying for April! What was in your swag bags this month?


Otaku USA: On The Shelf – March 21, 2012

Otaku USA: On The Shelf - March 21, 2012

It’s new manga time! This week’s edition of On The Shelf has been posted over at Otaku USA. Check it out for the list of titles that arrived in stores today, including my most anticipated of the week: A Bride’s Story (Vol.03), Bunny Drop, (Vol. 05) and Young Miss Holmes!


Diamond Manga Previews: January 2012

Diamond Manga Previews: January 2012

Diamond Comics is North America’s largest comic book distributor. If you have a local comic store in your area, it’s very likely they get their books from them. Every month Diamond releases a giant magazine, Previews, containing all the products they have – from comics, manga, DVDs and merchandise – that will be released starting in about two months’ time, giving retailers and buyers the chance to put their orders in before shipping dates.

Previews - January 2012

I’ve been picking up the Previews magazines for years, oogling all the different books coming out from publishers and wondering how long until the stacks of Preview magazines I’ve yet to get rid of will crush me in my sleep. Starting now I’ll be writing about the different manga content published in Previews each month here on Kuriousity. This includes all the manga titles listed, the top Manga sellers as tracked by Diamond and mention of other things of interest I spot. With the small two month window, Diamond Previews has rarely been the source of new licenses but it’s a great reminder and showcase of all the books coming our way soon, plus the perfect time to get your orders in, whether through Diamond or at your online retailer of choice.

I’ll also be including with these monthly Preview posts a downloadable PDF that you can print off and check off the manga  you’d like to order. Then it’s as easy as bringing it into your local comic or book store – wherever in your area that orders in through Diamond Comics! Currently the list is just the names and does not include the Diamond order codes. I’ve never come across a store that requires them for ordering but if yours does, let me know and I’ll include them on subsequent files:

January 2012 Manga Previews Checklist (PDF)

You may continue reading at your own discretion for my thoughts, elaborations, random pictures and the Top 10 Selling Manga of November 2011!

Read more…


Year In Review: Lissa’s Favourites of 2011

Lissa’s Favourites of 2011

There are no shortage of ‘Best Of’ lists this time of year. While I like popping around to different peoples’ sites and seeing what they thought, it’s a bit of a frustration that I can’t seem to write one myself. How people choose a solid list containing five or ten favourites, from across different genres and subject matters, is just something I can’t seem to muster the brain power for. Not enough conviction I suppose? There’s just so much to love!

But I can’t overlook the perfect chance to look back at all the great titles a year had to offer and 2011 had some really fantastic ones. So then where is this going, oh rambling one, you ask? My semi-traditional equivalent to the yearly best of – the random Lissa’s favourites and best-ofs list! Which really just means you get a lot more titles broken into a lot more categories so I can remain a lot more loving to a lot more series. And in some cases not so loving… From the Best Release Quality to the Favourite Fan Service and even to the most Gag Worthy – here are a bunch of my favourite titles from 2011!

Read more…


Year in Review: Victoria’s Top 5 Best Manga of 2011

Victoria's Top 5 Manga of 2011

So it’s that time of year again. Yes, the “everyone makes lists about the best/worst things of the year.” And you know what? I love it. Yes, love it. And so, I decided to put together my own list of my top five best manga of 2011.

To be eligible for this list, all a series had to do was have one book this year that I have read. Some (most actually) began in earlier years but they were the titles I looked forward to reading the most in these last twelve months. And so, without further ado, here are my top picks of the year.

Read more…


Take me back to the top!