Manga Xanadu

Most of the manga that comes out is rated Teen and up, but there are still some titles that are rated for all ages. Perfect Square is Viz Media’s imprint for all such titles, and this week sees the release of one of the most anticipated of the year. Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past is an adaptation of the Nintendo Game Boy Advance game of the same name. It was serialized in Nintendo Power magazine, and has seen print since 1993. It’s been on Amazon’s best-selling manga list since it first announced in February as a pre-order. How will it do as an official release? Also from Viz is the deluxe edition of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 1 Phantom Blood Vol 2 which follows the adventures of the first Joseph Jostar. It’s pretty amazing the third part of this series, thought to be the best, barely sold 10 years ago, but the first part is not only selling incredibly well, it’s doing it as a hardcover at twice the price! Two of Seven Seas Entertainment’s new titles are coming out this week. Ancient Magus’ Bride is one that a lot of fans have been looking forward to,…

Kodansha and Seven Seas Entertainment is getting the lion’s share of releases this week. Kodansha releases more of their newer titles with Maria The Virgin Witch Vol 2 which seems to have a lot going on under the surface. Noragami: Stray God has been doing well, so I expect to see vol 4 hit the NYT bestseller list in the next few weeks. The third volume of xxxHolic Rei is released just as it is announced in Japan that CLAMP will resume work on the series. Good timing for Kodansha. Dark Horse got stuck with the still on hiatus series Gate 7, but then, with Dark Horse’s sometimes glacial release schedule, who would notice? Seven Seas releases a new Alice in the Country of title; Alice in the Country of Clover: The March Hare’s Revolution. Elliot has done pretty well in the Alice pairings. How many does this make now 3? 4? 5?? A Certain Sceinetific Railgun Vol 10 is released this week, catching the series up with its Japanese counterpart. It’s a good thing Yen Press has the main series, A Certain Magical Index coming out in both light novel and manga formats to tide fans over until the…

Lots of titles debuting this week. Kodansha starts out with two new titles. Let’s Dance A Waltz is by Natsumi Ando, the mangaka of Kitchen Princess, and the recently ended Arisa. I have yet to read an Ando title, though Kitchen Princess is on my “someday” list, but I’ll definitely give the first volume of this series a try. Your Lie In April was Kodansha’s last announced license of 2014. It’s a music title that has been compared to Nodame Cantabile, which was only partially published by Del Rey back in the day. I’m looking forward to giving this volume a try as well. Seven Seas has two debuts as well. 12 Beast is another monster girl title, and is by the same mangaka as their runaway hit Monster Musume.  I expect this title to do just as well, I just won’t be experiencing it first hand. Clay Lord: Masters of Golems is much more my type. It’s a fantasy with plenty of adventure and competition. Yen Press is the serious player this week with four new light novels and 2 new manga debuting. Yen On gets a big push with Devil is a Part-Timer, Kagerou Daze, No Game, No Life, and…

It’s another short week, but with some variety at least. Digital Manga Publishing’s last Tezuka kickstarter before officially starting the “Tezuka World” kickstarters, Captain Ken is released to the general public this week. Backers have already received their books and rewards, so now it’s everyone else’s turn to pick up this space western. Set on Mars, the new frontier, a mysterious gunslinger, Ken, and his sidekick-gadget-horse Arrow, arrive on the red planet and they end up getting caught between the Earthling settlers and the Martian natives. If you missed the kickstarter, now is your chance pick up vol 1. Dark Horse has a new series starting this week as well. Oreimo Kuroneko is a spin-off of the original Oreimo, also published by Dark Horse, and features Ruri “Kuroneko” Goro as the protagonist; a big otaku who prefers action/fantasy and dresses in Goth Lolita. While the series title sounds off-putting, the actual plot seems interesting. Vertical Comics makes the week though with the release of the second volume of their all ages comedy My Neighbor Seki. I loved the first volume and can not wait to get the second and see what new misadventures await Seki and Yokoi. Seriously, this series is…

Due to Diamond shipping Viz’s shonen and shojo titles early last week, this week is looking very bare. Only three titles are coming out this week, one of which is from Viz’s BL line Sublime. One Peace Books is a small boutique publisher that has gotten into manga just recently. They’ve had some good word of mouth with Whispered Words, a yuri title. Their new title to be released this week is much more of a shonen action title, Aquarion Evol. It is the sequel to the anime Genesis of Aquarion which had some elements that could be called problematic. This series might be traversing the same road. We’ll see. Vertical Comics continues its release of the action-horror title Ajin with Volume 4 this week, but looks close to catching up to the Japanese release. Ajin keeps getting good word of mouth press from readers and critics, so hopefully sales are matching even with Crunchyroll running new chapters digitally. Kei Nagai’s trials continue to intrigue, and with more demi-humans coming out of the woodwork with this volume, the story can just only get more intriguing. While I don’t fully endorse the Vizmanga app, they do have some good bundle sales going. This…

Look at all this manga this week, and it’s no April Fool’s joke! Kodansha has a bunch of their heavy hitters with two Attack on Titan volumes and the latest Fairy Tail. But the series that’s gotten quite a bit of talk-up is Yamada-Kun and the Seven Witches. It is available on Crunchyroll digitally with the newest chapters, but Kodansha is also releasing it in print. It’s a shonen harem comedy, so that’s not too surprising. It’s rare when that kind of series doesn’t sell. The first volume debuts today. Seven Seas has a couple of titles that do not involve monsters, and they involve girls. Citrus is one of their yuri titles, and volume 1 did well, so it will be interesting to see if volume 2 does just as well. Volume 4 of Arpeggio of Blue Steel is also out, the sub warfare series that still manages to get in cute girls. Some series are finishing up this week as well. Vertical Comic’s social media thriller, Prophecy ends it’s run this week with volume 3. The first two volumes are fantastic, so I can’t wait for this volume to see how it all ends. Diamond ships the huge…

Kodansha and Seven Seas Entertainment are back this week, but their selections just aren’t speaking to me. Kodansha is top-loaded with titles I have no interest in. I gave up on Vampire Cheerleaders a while ago, even though that interest was mild at best, and I lost track of the Alice In the Country Of… awhile ago. So, I leave it to Yen Press again to spark my interest and they do a pretty good job this week. Second volumes of Demon From Afar and Love at Fourteen are out this week. The first volume of Demon From Afar felt like a prologue, so I’m curious to see where it goes in the second. Love at Fourteen is a pretty cute romance, so I can’t wait to see where things go in volume 2. Yen Press is releasing a few new titles as well that I want to read. I unexpectedly really enjoyed the first Puella Magi Oriko Magica series, so I’m really looking forward to reading Extra Story. I love the glimpses at alternate universes the spin offs give us. I’m curious about Devil is a Part-Timer. I think the idea of a Demon Lord having to work as a…

Well, this is much better! At least there’s an actual selection to choose from. Seven Seas Entertainment has a decent drop this week including the debut of their new series Servamp vol 1. I think I was curious about the series when it was announced, but it’s low on the priorities list. Kodansha scores much higher with both of their releases; My Little Monster and Seven Deadly Sins, both vol 7. I need to catch up with My Little Monster, but I have been wanting to know what happens next in Seven Deadly Sins. The last volume ended on such a cliffhanger, and I really want to see those Holy Knights get the stuffing kicked out of them! Especially that obnoxious-smirking Guila! I want that smirk wiped off of her face! I would be greatly remiss if I didn’t mention Viz Media’s Master Keaton. I have said how much I love this series? No? Let me tell you so more then. Volume 1 was just great, with a perfect balance of action, humor, and drama. It’s exactly how I like my media to be, so not only is this series a must buy, it’s a preorder! The only problem I…

Due to Diamond Distributors shipping Viz Media titles early last week, there isn’t much of a list this week. In fact, I don’t think you can call it a list really. Only two titles are coming out this week; Knights of Sidonia from Vertical Comics and Girls Und Panzer Little Army from Seven Seas Entertainment. I’m really only familiar with Knights of Sidonia. I’ve read up to at least vol 5. Of course, the series is now up to vol 13. I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read so far. Nihei has created a fun and interesting world filled excitement and danger. I reviewed the first to volumes at Good Comics for Kids. I’ll have more coming down the pike later. Seven Seas is releasing Girls Und Panzer Little Army vol 2 this week. This is a title that’s easy to chalk up to the whole moe thing with cute girls in tanks, but I’ve heard that there is a lot more substance to the title. At least, I’ve heard enough that I would consider checking it out. Full list per Diamond Distributors: SEVEN SEAS ENTERTAINMENT Girls Und Panzer Little Army Volume 2 GN, $12.99 VERTICAL Knights Of Sidonia Volume 13 GN, $12.95

It’s a big Viz week with both their shonen and shojo titles as well as plenty of Pokémon from their kid imprint Perfect Square. Everyone else is slumming it with one volume each. Dark Horse has New Lone Wolf and Cub Vol 4, while Kodansha releases the 5th omnibus of xxxHolic. Whispered Words from One Peace Books and is a yuri series about a girl who is secretly in love with her best friend, but who isn’t her type. It keeps getting good word of mouth, so it might be worth picking up even with the higher price point Viz’s avalanche of shonen and shojo is hard to escape. I recently re-read the first volume of Kamisama Kiss, and now I’m feeling the itch to binge read, but catching up will hurt the pocket-book with volume 17 coming out this week, even if it were available as an e-book! Rose lovers have two titles to choose from this week, with Kiss of the Rose Princess Vol 3 being released, but even more exciting, and a week early, is Requiem of the Rose King Vol 1. This historical shojo by Aya Kanno, the creator of Otomen, is based on Shakespeare’s play Richard III, and…

Some interesting titles debut this week. Dark Horse releases the second of their two manga by Satoshi Kon, Seraphim 266613336 Wings. Kon does the art while the writing was done by Mamoru Oshii, another anime director. It’s been highly anticipated by fans of both creators. Kodansha Comics’ new title is Maria the Virgin Witch. It’s by Masayuki Ishikawa, the creator of the short-lived release Moyashimon by earlier publisher Del Rey. The subject of this series, a witch who must remain a virgin to keep her powers is more up the alley of western readers than germs were. Seven Seas Entertainment releases the first volume of Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary. I wasn’t too sure about the series, but a fair-to-middling’ review has me curious enough to flip through it. Yen Press has a whole lot of nope in their releases this week. Ani-Imo, Gou-Dere Sora Nagihara and BTOOOM! are all titles I pass by on guilt free. I keep wondering if I would be curious enough to check out High School DxD, but fortunately, I’ve got a lot of other titles to keep distracting me. I do still need to dig into Barakamon. I have the first two volumes sitting in…

It’s super light in manga this week. Kodansha has nothing that interests me. I finally read the first volume of Manga Dogs and was sadly disappointed by it. The manga references were cute, but the volume as a whole just wasn’t funny, so I’ll pass on volume 3’s release. While I like the Pokemon Adventures manga series more than the TV series, the manga adaptations of the movies have been decent. The adaptation of the last movie to be released, Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction, comes out from Perfect Square, Viz Media’s kid imprint. Vertical Comics gets the thumb’s up this week with their all ages and comedy releases. I really enjoyed Cardfight! Vanguard. It’s a great combination of fun characters and collectible card games. Even if you can’t get the volumes with the limited edition game cards, pick up this series anyway. It’s just as fun to read as to play. Witchcraft Works has the kind of comedy I really enjoy; the deadpan protagonist. Takamiya keeps the same straight expression, no matter what is going on around her, whether she’s being attacked by witches or their giant bunny minions. It looks to be a great series and will be…