Manga Xanadu

With Diamond releasing the shonen titles early last week, this week is a little lighter, but in retrospect, that a good things as some debuts by other publishers would be completely washed over by the final Naruto Vol 72. Seven Seas goes for some representation as they release the first volume of their new series, Merman in My Tub. Instead of monster girls, it’s monster boys, who are just as hot with fish tails and tentacles. I was interested in it when Seven Seas announced it, and while I’m not a fan of fanservice, neither am I opposite to some equal opportunity for the ladies.

Diamond Distributors is getting the Viz Shonen and Shojo titles out a week early. There are plenty of old favorites such as Assassination Classroom Vol 6, Library Wars Vol 14 and My Love Story Vol 6, as well as a new debut. QQ Sweeper is by Kyousuke Motomi, the creator of Dengeki Daisy. It was her first series after Dengeki Daisy ended. It’s a supernatural romance about a new girl transfer student who gets involved with a boy who cleans up the school, but physically and metaphysically. I’ve been looking forward to this series and can’t wait to read it.

There’s a lot of manga coming out this week. Kodansha releases the first volume of Devil Survivor, the adaptation of Shin Megami Tensei, the game that the Persona is a spin-off of.  I’ve been interested in Shin Megami Tensei, as well as Persona, thanks to my older daughter’s obsession, so I’ll be checking this title out. Vertical Comics does the seemingly impossible as it releases the final volume of Mobile Suit Gundam Origin, the series that not even the publisher believed would sell. But Vertical and Western fans proved them wrong, and now the series comes to an end with Vol 11.

Things are slowly down as we hit the middle of the month. Dark Horse releases their first omnibus of Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka, a title they seemed to have kept from DMP. It collects the first three volumes into one massive 700 page book and includes the original story “Greatest Robot on Earth,” which was the basis for Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto. Fans of either series should definitely pick this up. Seven Seas has the 12th volume of Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends, where it’s school festival time. Hit Seven Seas’ Tumblr to find out more.

After a heavy shonen and shojo release week last week, this week is a little on the lighter side. Seven Seas releases an omnibus of Dictatorial Grimoire, collecting all three volumes of the series into one book for a lower price. I’ve truly come to appreciate omnibuses for price and shelf space. I’ve considered Dictatorial Grimoire before, but this omnibus make it much more attractive.

It’s rare that a week goes by and there isn’t something I want on it. This week is not NOT one of those weeks. Kodansha releases the fourth volume of Yamada-Kun and the Seven Witches, a series I have become a recent convert for. I didn’t think I would like it with the gender switching and all, but it’s turned out to be a surprisingly fun rom-com. Not high on my list though is Ninja Slayer Kills Vol 1. It hits all the wrong buttons with me. What probably doesn’t is The Ancient Magus’ Bride from Seven Seas which is releasing Volume 2 this week.

And I thought last week was gonna be a wallet burner! This week is nearly just as bad! Kodansha hits with a wave of titles, including a couple of new ones. The first Fairy Tail spin-off in English is finally here. Blue Mistral is a shojo that features Wendy Marvell, the 12-year-old wizard from Fairy Tail as she goes on her first solo mission. I’d pick this up just for being from Fairy Tail, but the shojo aspect just makes it all the more attractive. Also new out this week is Inuyashiki, the story of a middle-aged man who gets a new lease on life after being struck by a light from the sky. The premise sounds familiar, but look like it will be anything but. Other big hitters out this week are Attack on Titan Before the Fall, Attack on Titan, and Say I Love You. Kodansha is not pulling any punches!

Well, this is a bad week for the wallet. A lot of good books are out this week, starting with Kodansha’s newest Noragami Stray God Vol 6. With this series going on a bi-monthly rotation, keeping up is going to be a little more work. Alice in the Country of Hearts returns to Seven Seas with Peter trying to woo the fair Alice in White Rabbit and Some Afternoon Tea Vol 1. They are also releasing the first volume of Bodacious Space Pirates Abyss of Hyperspace. I’ve read about this series in Otaku USA and it looks interesting. I just don’t know if it’s Buy It Now interesting.

Well, this is rather like the proverbial wasteland for me. There is almost nothing I’m excited about getting, not that there is much to choose from. Only three publishers have titles releasing through Diamond Distributors this week. Seven Seas Entertainment’s selection isn’t too bad. I hope Citrus has been doing well for them. I’m still curious about Clay Lord Masters of Golems. I don’t think volume 1 got any poor reviews. I should give it a try.

It’s Viz’s big week, and a couple of titles people have been waiting for are being released. Maid-Sama is a former Tokyopop title where only 8 of the 18 volumes were released. This series in one of the rare pick ups from Viz that is getting a print release as well as digital, and is under the Shojo Beat imprint instead of Viz Select. The series fits perfectly in the Shojo Beat imprint with its story of a girl who appears to be tough-as-nails and a boy hater, but also works part-time at a maid cafe where she is found out by the popular boy at school. They are coming out as 2-in-1, so it will be no time before the series is caught up with the previous release, and fans will be getting new material. Also new this week is the first volume of My Hero Academia. This series by the creator of Barrage has seriously caught on with fans on both sides of the Pacific. Here, only the first chapter was released in Weekly Shonen Jump before the title jumped to current serialization, so this is the first chance for readers to see (legally) what happened in the…

It’s a fairly quiet release list for this week, but there are some strong titles to liven it up. If you haven’t read A Silent Voice Vol 1 from Kodansha Comics, go read it, right now. I’ll wait. If you haven’t heard of A Silent Voice, have you been living under a rock? The first volume has had tremendous word of mouth that’s pushed it’s sales up to Fairy Tail levels. The story sneaks up on you and then crushes your with so much emotion. But it’s a story that needs to be told, and read. I put off reading it for a while, for fear of all those emotions, but once I did, I was glad. I can’t wait now to see what happens in vol 2. Seven Seas Entertainment made a score when they picked up Haven’t You Heard I’m Sakamoto. The series was nominated for several awards, including the Manga Taisho. It’s one of the several Seven Seas’ titles I’ve been looking forward to reading. Chi’s Sweet Home is a title I have been reading and loving, even though as the series has gone on, it’s gotten a little darker. But going back to the “good old…

It’s a big Yen Press release this week, with several long-awaited titles debuting. Durarara!! the light novel makes its debut. This is the source material for both the manga and anime, and has had fans waiting in anticipation for it since its announcement back in January. Along with it is the final volume in the Yellow Scarves manga arc, making Durarara!! fans very happy. Final Fantasy Type-0 Side Story is adapted from the video game Final Fantasy Type-0 and follow the character Kurasame, the Ice Reaper. First Love Monster is a rom-com where high school student Kaho falls in love with her landlord’s son, only to find out later that he is a 5th grader. Prison School is a mature title that has the premise of boys joining a previously all-girls school, but things might not turn as rom-com-y as they hoped. Finally, Puella Magi Madoka Magica Homura’s Revenge is another alternate telling of Madoka’s story, this time with Madoka knowing what is in store for her and how that affects her decisions. Of all of these, Durarara!!, and Homura’s Revenge go on my buy list, though I might check out First Love Monster. Outside of Yen Press’ debuts, Kodansha…