Manga Village

Every week, the Manga Villagers will go through the new releases for the week and pick out the titles they are most looking forward to reading. Whether it’s buying or just window shopping, check out what we’re looking at every week!

For the Shohoku High players, the past echoes in the present as Rukawa learns something about Coach Anzai that leaves him determined to be the best high school player in Japan. With ten days remaining until the start of the national tournament, Coach Anzai send the Shohoku High team to Shizuoka for a week of practive with another local team. But Sakuragi stays behind for a special practice session that will push him to the limit and improve his individual skills for the crucial games ahead. By Takehiko Inoue Publisher: Viz Media/Shonen Jump Age Rating: Teen Genre: Sports Price: $9.99 Slam Dunk isn’t a series I read regularly, but I do like to check in on it from time to time. With the Inoue Manga Movable Feast being this month, this was the perfect time to check out the latest volume. This time the action is off court as Shohoku prepares for the national tournament. Preparations are both physical and mental, and inspiration comes from some unexpected places. Rukawa has really stepped up his game, both mentally and physically, as in practice he shows his determination to be the best. He finally shows Sakuragi the real difference in their skills,…

The girls of the Mureo High kendo team face off again against Ishibaki’s pupils from Kamasaki High. And then the drama abounds as the popular TV show, Burnish Academy shows an interest in filming the girls for the sports segment of the show. But first, they must survive not just the rivalry between the co-hosts, but also of some surprise guests; kendo prodigy Ura Sakaki and some of the strongest girls from around the country known as Kendo Komachi! Story by Masahiro Totsuka; Art by Aguri Igarashi Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Sports Price: $11.99 I read the first few chapters of Bamboo Blade in Yen Plus when it first came out, but wasn’t impressed with what I read at the time. It’s eight volumes later, and I decided to check out the series and see if there was any improvement. I couldn’t believe the difference! The characters and story drew me in quickly, and the kendo action kept my eyes glued to the page. This is the first sports manga to really got its hooks into me. There’s been a lot of character development since the series began. When I read the first chapters, I was…

Admitted to the prestigious Tokyo Space School, Asumi appears to be on track to make her dreams come true. However, enrollment was just the first of many trials she must overcome on her path to the stars. By Kou Yaginuma Publisher: Vertical, Inc. Age Rating: Tween/Teen Genre: Drama/Space Price: $10.95 As Space School starts, Asumi is still enthusiastic about it despite having several disadvantages working against her. Her family is poorer than most of the other students. She is there on a scholarship. She has to live in a 40-year-old dorm and work a part-time job in a restaurant. She doesn’t even have a cellphone. Her friend flippantly tells her to ask her parents for one since they’re only 30,000 ($300), not realizing that’s a lot of money for her father to come up with. She’s shorter than everyone else. At 4’8″, she doesn’t fit the standard gear, and will need special gear made just for her. She’s a poor swimmer. We saw in the first volume where she nearly drowned, and as a result doesn’t like swimming. Asumi works hard to compensate for as many of these disadvantages as she can, sometimes to the point of exhaustion and/or injuring…

These three volumes of One Piece are about 2/3 of the way through the Water Seven arc. It’s the longest arc so far. Volume 40 has Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates racing through Enies Lobby, the court of the World Government to rescue Robin. They are joined by the Franky Family and Galley-La company who are there to save Franky who was taken by CP9. It’s mostly Luffy  plowing through with the rest coming from behind. Volume 41 reveals Robin’s childhood and why she is the most wanted person by the World Government. Volume 42 begins the battle between the Straw Hat Pirates and CP9 to save Robin. By Eiichiro Oda Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Genre: Action Price: $9.99 Rating: Volume 40 is mostly all fighting. Luffy is just punching everyone in his way and moving on, while the rest of the Straw Hats and Franky Family take on the ever-growing resistance from the marines on the island. This volume is a good example of how Eiichiro incorporates flashbacks for characters into battles, keeping them from becoming tedious. In this volume, we learn more about the King Bulls Sodomu and Gomora. They were rescued by the Franky…

Traveling in-between the world of the living and the twilight world of the dead, Akamushi, the shaman known as the Red Spider Exorcist, wields the powers of a giant spider to combat the demons of the netherworld. In a serendipitous moment, a young girl meets Akamushi, and falls in love with him at first sight. However, it turns out her grandfather and mother are haunted by a “Waraigao” – a demon that attacks living human bodies from the inside, eroding and eventually deteriorating them! Written by Hideyuki Kikuchi; illustrated by Shin Yong-Gwan Publisher: Digital Manga Publishing Age Rating: 16+ Genre: Horror Price: $9.95 Volume 2 of Taimashin picked up right where volume 1 left off with Megumi at the hot springs. Her story is finished and a second story starts up involving a young girl whose family seems to be cursed. This volume gives some more insight into the nature of Akamushi, and that he might not be completely the hero he appeared to be in the first volume. Megumi’s story is completed as the truth about her is revealed as is the reason why she is being chased by the demons. There is a climatic battle between Akumushi and…

Publisher’s Info: They say you cannot choose where and when are born; we are gifted into the worlds are parents are living at the time. Whether a blessing or a curse, as individuals we must make the most of our environments to advance as best possible given the circumstances present. For the cast of Peepo Choo, their places of birth, whether they be the suburbs of Tokyo or the South Side of Chicago, appear to be a curse they cannot escape…until they realize the world is a much smaller place than they thought. On the surface Milton appears to be your average a high school student living in the thugged out streets of Chicago’s South Side. As is the case with many teens looks can be deceiving. When he’s not at school or riding the metro, he is at the local comic shop cosplaying as his favorite Japanese animation character Peepo Choo! A hardcore fan, Milton knows every line from the Peepo Choo animation by heart. He can happily replicate the Peepo Dance with ease, and genuinely believes the world depicted in this cartoon is “the real” Japan. By Felipe Smith Publisher: Vertical, Inc. Age Rating: 16+ Genre: Parody Price:…

Crown Prince Shin and Crown Princess Chae-Kyung are the picture of happiness as they celebrate their first wedding anniversary in a lavish, high-profile public display…but all is not well behind those loving gazes and wide smiles. With the tension between her and Shin growing, Chae-Kyung can’t help but look for a way out of her situation. But when the Queen, who is with child, decides to have Chae-Kyung be her proxy, the pressure is on for Chae-Kyung to keep herself and her marriage together. Will she look to Yul for guidance, even if his advice could spell disaster for the royal family that Chae-Kyung is growing to love? By So Hee Park Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Teen Genre: Drama/Romance Price: $10.99  Things aren’t getting any easier for Chae-Kyung in this volume of Goong. News that the Queen Mother is pregnant causes complications for everyone in the palace. For Chae-Kyung, it draws her further into the affairs of the palace, when all she wants is out. For Shin, it causes him to become serious about being the Crown Prince, and that means divorce may no longer be an option for him and Chae-Kyung. The possibility of a new heir in…

With the Imperial Army in hot pursuit, Housei leads Taitou and the others on a little detour to the home of his master. But the “mean old devil woman” he had described turns out to be nothing of the sort. Master Kouei is a veritable font of wisdom; in addition to knowing a more covert route into the capital, she is well versed in the legends of the Hokushin-Tenkun. There is much she can teach Taitou as he struggles to control the overwhelming power of his star, but will she have enough time to impart her wisdom before tragedy strikes? By Hiromu Arakawa Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Historical Fantasy Price: $10.99 Taitou and co. continue their journey to the Capitol, though the stories are less serial than the first volume and focuses more on their purpose; getting the Kenkaranbu back. Taitou gets some real training on how to control his star’s power, and more is revealed about Taitou’s and Ryuukou’s past, where they seem to have a surprising connection. Needing to find a less direct route to the capitol, Housei leads everyone to his Master, Kouei Kuju. Known as the “Font of Knowledge,” she spends her…

Kaname Otonashi is gifted with a super-hearing ability, so much so that he can even hear voices from the “other side”…the dead. Having once worked as a top-notch detective specializing in Sound Engineering Investigation, Otonashi resigned to work as a private investigator. His partner, Yasuhide, aka Hide, collaborates with the police department to take on unsolved and mysterious cases. Surrounded by a string of mysterious deaths, the police turn to Kaname’s findings to identify suspects…but can Kaname handle the non-stop screaming of the dead? By Youka Nitta Publisher: Digital Manga Publishing Age Rating: 16+ Genre: Drama Price: $12.95  Otodama: Voices of the Dead is a detective buddy story with a supernatural twist. It’s premise of the voices of the dead remaining behind long after the deed has become a staple in ghost investigations, but to this title’s credit, the voices of the dead don’t solve the cases as much as Otonashi’s abilities and Nagatsuna’s determination do. Otodama is about two men. Kaname Otonashi is a former researcher at the National Police Research Institute where he specialized in aural forensics. He analyzed sounds and recordings for clues to help in cases. Otonashi has very acute hearing. He can hear things others…