Here in the US, we’re all excited about getting more devices to carry around to read books on. In Japan, they’re taking existing devices that people are already carrying and adapting them to not just read books but to also enhance that reading experience. They are letting the content take advantage of the platform instead of making devices to conform to the content.
The Lizard Prince Volume 1 By Asuka Izumi Publisher: CMX Age Rating: Everyone Genre: Romance/Fantasy/Comedy Price: $9.99 Rating: Canary is the princess of the kingdom of Linaria. Her father, the king has promised her hand in marriage to Heath, the handsome prince of the kingdom of Gazania. Canary isn’t crazy about this, because Heath has a bad reputation. The Prince has his own reservations, and gets his brother Sienna to pose as him on their first date, convinced he’ll drive her away. But the plan backfires when chemistry ignites between the two. The only problem is, Sienna’s been under a spell, which turned him into a lizard. And once he’s done posing as his brother, he reverts back to that form! Will love really conquer all in this mixed up triangle? The Lizard Prince is a fairy tale turned quirky romance. It starts out much like the Frog Prince, but is able to transform itself into a funny and charming romance with wide spread appeal.
Out in the middle of Tokyo Bay, a man called Shogun is trying to break out of Umihotaru Prison, a maximum-security island fortress, so he can save the world. Accompanied by a frightened young manga artist, these two men are prepared to risk everything as their daring escape plan grows deadlier by the minute. However, the prison authorities will do whatever it takes to return Shogun and his reluctant companion to custody. Shogun’s ultimate goal: Tokyo, where a girl he calls the “final hope” lives, but a murder in Kabuki-cho has triggered a chain reaction of terror. Can Shogun reveal the truth about the false peace created by the Friends? And what are the facts behind the disaster that took place in the final moments of the 20th century?! 20th Century Boys Volume 7 By Naoki Urasawa Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Plus Genre: Drama/Mystery Price: $12.99 Rating: What happened December 31, 1999? The events of that night start to unfold as both Shogun and Kami tell the tale to two young people who want to know the truth. But will learning these facts bring us any closer to the truth? Once again, Urasawa poses more questions than…
But Is It Contagious? Love to love it, or love to hate it, the release of the Twilight manga is eminent. Manga fans have been expressing (mostly) their disdain for the series and a NIBY attitude about it. Shaenon Garrity, a respected writer about manga points out that the themes in Twilight are nothing new. In fact, the themes in Twilight are not only prevalent in shojo, a lot of it has been done before! So quit whining about it. In the end, it’ll do more good than harm. Someone needs to be able to challenge Viz, and right now, it seems like Yen Press’ adaptations are the only ones with the steam power. See the NYT Bestseller List below.
Jack Frost Volume 1 By JinHo Ko Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Horror Price: $10.99 Rating: Any high schooler on a nerve-wracking first day at a new school is apt to lose his or her head a little. But in Noh-A’s case, she literally does! When she wakes up in one piece with a little help from a mysterious doctor, Noh-A quickly realizes that nothing is as it seems at Amityville High, where paranormal creatures battle for supremacy. Caught in the crossfire, Noh-A may have to rely on the unlikely (and possibly unreliable) aid of the most sinister student at Amityville…the deadly Jack Frost! By all outward appearances, this title looks to be a pale shadow of the horror manga Hellsing. Cracking open the book doesn’t do much to alter that appearance. There is lots of action and decapitation, but not much in actual plot.
I make no bones about it. I love cats. I will read just about any manga that has cat in it, even that peripherally revolves around them. What’s Michael, Free Collar Kingdom, Cat Paradise, even Backstage Prince, Dragon Ball and Ranma 1/2 that only have supporting characters that are cats I’ll read and enjoy. But there just isn’t nearly enough to sate my appetite for titles about the four-footed furries. Vertical’s license of Chi’s Sweet Home is a BIG win, and I can’t wait to get my hands on Viz’s Natsume’s Book of Friends. But then, over on Twitter, Deb Aoki had to start showing off her cat manga purchases from Japan. Neko Mocchiri is a 1 volume collection about a 20-something and her cat, and was published in Ikki. Junjo Ito’s Cat Diary is also a 1 volume collection, and looks cool in a weird way. Nekoe Juubee Otogi Soushi is two volume so far and is about a painter and his yokai cat companion. And I want to read them all! Especially Nekoe Juubee, since I love yokai so much, and yokai cats all the more! Ed Chavez commented: There is a saying in the Japanese manga world……
Ikki Takes a Holiday You might have noticed that the Ikki Comix website hasn’t had any updates for a while. Well, that’s because they’re taking the holidays off. There’s no word about when the updates will return, and hopefully this is just what they say, just an intermission and not a break that becomes a hiatus. Ikki’s got some great titles that deserve the exposure that the website gives them. So take this as an opportunity to get caught up!
Princess Resurrection Volume 3 By Yasunori Mitsunaga Publisher: Del Rey Manga Age Rating: 16+ Genre: Supernatural Price: $10.95 Rating: Mummies, vampires, and a ghost ship: a typical day in the life of Princess Hime, monster slayer extraordinaire. But when her kid sister visits, Princess Hime may have finally met her match. Now she’s facing her toughest battle of all: sibling warfare! The campiness we saw in the first two volumes of this series starts to get toned down in the third. The fight between Hime and her brothers goes past simply sending hordes of monsters to something more serious. It’s not going to be all fun and games from here on out. It’s too bad the fan service doesn’t also take a hike.
Deka Kyoshi Volume 1 By Tamio Baba Publisher: CMX Age Rating: Teen Plus Genre: Drama/Suspense Price: $9.99 Rating: Toyama, a tall and beefy detective, goes undercover as a fifth-grade teacher. The previous teacher was discovered on the ground outside of her condo and rumors say she jumped…or was she pushed? Toyama is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, but it seems like he has a more pressing task at hand: his rowdy students. One student, Makoto is a little strange and his eccentricities make him a prime target for bullies. Makoto can actually see the demons inside people, which manifest themselves as visions of horrible monsters. Will this strange student be able to help Toyama? Sounding more like a take off of Kindergarten Cop, Deka Kyoshi is actually a title that looks at serious issues that kids are facing everyday. It presents them in an interesting and unusual way, but CMX’s overly-conservative age rating of the book may keep it from reaching the audience it is meant and most appropriate for.
Princess Resurrection Volume 1 By Yasunori Mitsunaga Publisher: Del Rey Manga Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Supernatural Price: $10.95 Rating: Werewolves, demons, monsters, vampires – all these ferocious creatures are afraid of the same thing: the beautiful Princess Hime, an awesome warrior who fights the forces of evil with a chainsaw and a smile. Not only does she look great in a tiara, she has magical powers that allow her to raise the dead. She’s a girl on a mission, and with the help of her undead servant and a supercute robot, there’s no creature of darkness she can’t take down! Take a Princess with a chainsaw, an androids in maid costume and a bit of a loser student who gains semi-immortality by accident and throw them into a battle with monsters out of a drive-in double feature and you have the first volume of Princess Resurrection, a series that balance’s campy horror with a more serious fight to become the King of Monsters.
Ayu still can’t give up on her love for Mayama, even though his relationship with Rika seems to be deepening. Nomiya’s growing interest in Ayu might be a balm to her broken heart, but he’s moving to Tottori for six months! Is Ayu cursed to suffer hopeless love affairs forever? By Chica Umino Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Romance Price: $9.99 Rating: This volume is all about the love polygon of Mayama, Ayu, Rika and Nomiya. Ayu seems to be deliberately torturing herself by working with Mayama and Rika, and seeing their relationship grow. Rika is preparing for the Valencia Art Museum Annex, a project she and her late husband submitted for and won, and seems prepared to also make it her last, something Mayama’s not prepared to let Rika do. And Nomiya, the player, finds himself doing something he never thought he would, falling for Ayu. There’s a lot of drama going on in this volume, especially with Rika. She still haven’t been able to get over her husband’s death, no matter what kind of face she puts on. A flashback from Hanamoto shows what a difficult time she had after the accident, and how she…
There are a lot more changes coming to Shonen Jump, according to this latest issue. The issue starts with the first of a three part preview of the new manga Toriko. It’s a food manga done shonen style, so everything is exaggerated to the extreme. It is the Gourmet Age, with man is constantly striving to find best ingredients to make the ultimate menu. Toriko is one such man. He is a gourmet hunter. He travels the world catching the most delicious and dangerous foods, since, of course, the best tasting food is in the form of giant monster-like animals. And in best shonen tradition, he is also the best at it. In the first chapter he is hired to catch a Garara Gator. It’s very over the top, with Tokiro looking like a character out of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. He’s all upper body muscle. He also eats. A lot. I’ll reserve judgment until I’ve read the other two parts before rating it. But for now, it feels kind of average.