News, reviews and features with a focus on manga, self-published works and a Canadian perspective. Enjoy fulfilling your Kuriousity!
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January’s going out with a bit of a whimper, but still, manga! And a Legend of Zelda book that is a must have for many. You can read about the manga titles out this week over at my On The Shelf article for Otaku USA.
Bloody Monday (Vol.09) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
The Limit (Vol.03) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Vertical Inc has its first announced license of the year – Summer Wars! Adapted from the award-winning movie of the same name, Summer Wars is a manga title I’ve seen requested quite a bit for a while now. Patience rewarded!
Summer Wars (Part 01)- Mamoru Hosoda & Iqura Sugimoto
October 2013 – $14.95/US, $16.95/CAN
Amazon US / Amazon CAN
Summer Wars will be released in two omnibus volumes that include colour inserts and some words from the series’ artists.
I really love the Summer Wars movie, so I’ll definitely be buying the manga version of it. I’m not sure it’ll carry the same spark without all the colours and crazy digital-world movements, but I’m eager to see what angles the book takes. Will it focus on different elements than the movie? Different weight on different characters? A word for word of the original? We’ll see soon enough!
The original movie was released in English by Funimation, while UDON Entertainment is publishing a material book for the movie this coming May. The story follows a young man who is asked to be a fake fiance for his classmate during summer vacation. While initially it seems just a matter of fooling her lively and close-knit extended family, soon they’re all drawn into a conflict against a computer virus that is destroying the internet system their modern society relies on.
More manga, more power! Or at least entertainment! I was spoiled by an early delivery week from Diamond Comics, so I was able to purchase a couple of this week’s titles last week. That means I can tell you for sure that there are some super gems out this week. Notably, Bride’s Story (Vol.04) and Black Butler (Vol.12) from Yen Press. Both were great!
You can read my thoughts on all this week’s titles at Otaku USA’s On The Shelf article, written as always by yours-truly.
Black Butler (Vol.12) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Black God (Vol.18) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Bride’s Story (Vol.04) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-Chan (Vol.03) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Soul Eater (Vol.12) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
The Flowers of Evil (Vol.04) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
It’s the first new manga of 2013! 2012 went out soft with no new volumes of manga released in its last week, but distributors and publishers worked to ensure that the new year was much more stacked to start. Get those gift cards ready!
You can read my thoughts on the new year’s first week of releases over at my On The Shelf article for Otaku USA.
Bleach (Vol.54) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Cage of Eden (Vol.08) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Caramel [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Dengeki Daisy (Vol.11) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Heroman (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Hunter x Hunter (Vol.29) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
I’ve Seen It All (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Jiu Jiu (Vol.03) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Love Makes Everything Right [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Message to Adolf (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Ninth Life Love [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Oresama Teacher (Vol.12) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Otomen (Vol.14) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Psyren (Vol.08) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Strobe Edge (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Ultimo (Vol.08) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Author: Stan Lee / BONES
Manga-ka: Tamon Ohta
Publisher: Vertical Inc
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: October 2012
Synopsis: “Orphaned American teen Joseph Carter Jones, aka Joey, lives with his grandmother in Central City, Los Angeles. When he’s not in class you can generally find him working diligently at a diner to help make ends meet at home. Upon hearing of a new toy robot called the Heybo, Joey becomes set on the idea that acquiring one will change his for the better. Unfortunately, he cannot afford to buy the machine on his meager salary. His luck changes when he picks up a broken-down Heybo abandoned by a school bully. In Joey’s eyes this used bot could be a source of strength. It could turn him into a hero for (cheerleader) Lina and his school… if he can make it work.”
Stan Lee is a cherished comics creator, and even in his old age is still a great showman and astute business man. While lending his name and conceptual ideas to numerous properties this past decade, his efforts have recently extended to Japan. It’s resulted in a few major media properties that have made their way back to the USA. Vertical’s licensing efforts have in turn resulted in bringing one of these, Heroman, to domestic readers. With an amicable style, and an inviting presentation, Heroman presents itself as an excellent series that will serve well as both a great introduction to manga for new readers brought in by Lee’s name and a great series for long time fans bored with the tropes of other shonen series. Tamon Ohta elevates Lee’s concepts to match the promise of such a collaboration. Heroman is a solid read that’s easily recommendable.
There are no new manga volumes out this week, but it’d come as no surprise if certain events have readers a bit behind on prior releases. Sort of like my delay in posting about the books that hit store shelves on December 19th – oops!
You can read my thoughts on that week’s books over at Otaku USA’s On The Shelf article.
Danza [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Dorohedoro (Vol.08) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Oh My Goddess (Vol.43) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Paradise Kiss (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Tenjo Tenge (Vol.10) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Vagabond VizBIG (Vol.11) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Manga-ka: Keiko Suenobu
Publisher: Vertical Inc
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: October 2012
Synopsis: “Mizuki Konno is your typical high school junior at Yanno Prefectural High School. Like many teens her age, she is studying hard for college and when she has some downtime she likes to fuss over fashion and make-up. While she may not be one of the class elites, Mizuki is fortunate to be on the right side of her class’s idols. But that might not settle well with those who are in a similar academic status but not so lucky with their social lives.
Mizuki has determined in her diary who is a “have” and who is a “have not.” The diary is discovered before a class fieldtrip and tensions are now at new heights. Fights may soon break out – and ironically they will come from those “meek and helpless” figures who supposedly have no friends or future. But all this is supplanted when tragedy strikes in the form of a traffic accident and the class is split into two new groups: the living and the dead!”
The Limit is an unsettling and disturbing shoujo manga that looks past the sparkling wonderland of fashionable gals and pretty boys. It takes a cruel, hard look at high school life without the gloss normally painted over it in most manga. The story is told from the perspective of a seemingly cute, peppy girl named Konno, but even before the tragic incident that fuels the plot, one is given a feeling of the fierce hierarchy these girls live in. After a horrific bus accident, the survivors are left stranded in the wilderness, with nary a magical fairy or giant robot in sight.
I’ve always been a fan of top lists, hence why I’ve made a couple of my own. However the lists I liked writing the most were always the ones about my personal favourites. Because of this, I’ve recently been trying to determine what my own favourite manga and anime are, since after almost ten years of reading/watching, I’ve had the chance to be exposed to quite a bit.
Now, this is a ranking based on personal preference, rather than just perceived level of quality, and with each choice I have also included my ranking of the series over at Anime News Network in parentheses (my username there is marie-antoinette, for anyone who is interested). And so, without further ado, here is part one of my Top 20 Favourite Manga!
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Busy, busy these days but never too busy for new comics. November was a huge month for manga releases, though this past week’s list of titles – which mark the last of the month – was considerably smaller. Our wallets appreciate the break though, right? Not that it means there aren’t still some must-haves, including Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (Vol.13) and the Sailor Moon (Vol. 01-06) boxset. Off to the store!
The title details are over at their usual place, at a slightly later than usual time (my bad!), in my On The Shelf article for Otaku USA.
Deltora Quest (Vol.09) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Fairy Tail (Vol.22) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
GTO: 14 Days in Shonan (Vol.06) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Is This A Zombie? (Vol.03) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (Vol.13) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Limit (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Sailor Moon Boxset #1 (Vol.01-06) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Where, oh where, is all the time going!? November 7th? Really? Yikes… This is looking like a big month for new manga releases and week one is definitely starting out with a bang. Over two dozen new releases!
You can read the full list and my thoughts on a number of them over at my On The Shelf article for Otaku USA.
Ai Ore (Vol.07) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Air Gear (Vol. 26) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Bakuman (Vol.16) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Bleach (Vol.50) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Bleach (Vol.51) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Blue Exorcist (Vol.08) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Claymore (Vol.21) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
GTO Early Years (Vol.15) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Heroman (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Kamisama Kiss (Vol.11) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Kimi Ni Todoke (Vol.15) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Mardock Scramble (Vol. 06) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Naruto (Vol.59) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Box Set [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Negima (Vol. 36) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Neon Genesis Evangelion (Vol.13) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
One Piece (Vol.65) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Oresama Teacher (Vol.11) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Ouran High School Host Club Box Set [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Psyren (Vol.07) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Rosario Vampire Season II (Vol.10) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Sailor Moon (Vol. 08) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Strobe Edge (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Tegami Bachi (Vol.11) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Vampire Knight (Vol.15) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
We Were There (Vol. 15) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
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