Manga Village

Iku Kasahara has dreamed of joining the Library Forces ever since one of its members saved her book from a MBC raid when she was in high school. A new recruit in the Library Forces now, Iku is training hard to become a full-fledged member, but is finding that not everyone is like her Prince. Especially not Sgt Dojo, her drill instructor, who seems to have it in for her!

By all appearances, Soichi Negishi is a sweet, well-mannered boy who loves Swedish pop music, trendy boutiques, and all things fashionable. But at the same time he’s also Krauser II, front man for Detroit Metal City, an indie death metal band whose popularity increases by the day. Once the DMC makeup goes on and Soichi takes the stage, his natural talents as a death metal god can’t help but flourish. Is this the band he’s truly destined to be in? By Kiminori Wakasugi Publisher: Viz Media – Signature Age Rating: Mature Genre: Music/humor Price: $12.99 When Detroit Metal City was first announced, there was a lot of excitement for the series, and reviews of the first volume were well received. By Volume 5 though, some of that excitement waned, and the cursing and jokes got tiresome. Now at volume 9, and not even having read the first 8, the jokes still come off as tiresome, but by the end, some plot-ty stuff leading up to the end of the series breathes back some life. DMC comes off as the same joke told over and over with some profanity to up the shock value. The series started with jokes about Soichi…

Raiko, the demon hunter who has been staying at Misao’s house, is determined to save her–even if that’s the last thing she wants! Kyo won’t allow a threat to Misao to go unchecked and plans to take care of the problem in his own special way. Misao, however, hopes that she can broker a peace between Raiko and Kyo before things get out of hand. But when Raiko’s attempts to “free” Misao fall, he hatches a devious new plan that will use Misao’s bond with Kyo to destroy him!

Since the death of her father, Hikaru has been withdrawing from the world, hiding being her headphones drown out everything around her. While on a school trip, she sees a shooting star that seems to turn right for her! What seems like a dream becomes a horrible reality as she learns that she died, and is only alive now because of an alien entity called Horizon, who needs Hikaru’s help to find Maelstrom, another alien intent on destroying all life on Earth. But the only way to help Horizon and get her life back is to reach back out to the world she’s been trying to escape from. By Nobuaki Tadano Publisher: Vertical, Inc. Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Sci-fi Price: $10.95 7 Billion Needles is a sci-fi story that was inspired by a classic sci-fi story, Needle by Hal clemet. It uses Needle‘s basic premise of a human and alien having to work together to stop a different alien threat, but then branches off in its own direction. while having plenty of action and suspense, this story really examines what it means to be human through Hikaru and Horizon’s interactions. When we first meet Hikaru, she is pretty much…

It’s a quiet week this week with only one title coming out.  Jason Thompson gets all the attention for his second volume of King of RPGs. So, with no real competition, our reviewers take a look at a genre of manga: sports.

Now this is a new releases list! Lot’s of different publishers are releasing lots of different titles. Bandai debuts it’s new title, Kannagi, which has been a big hit in Japan. Will it be in the US as well? And for once, it’s not based on an anime! Dark Horse continues it’s mature title Ghost Talker’s Daydream, and DMP has a rare non-yaoi manga with the second volume of Fafner: Dead Aggressor. The big news this week though is the debut of Kodansha, which is starting out with the return of several popular Del Rey titles, and Yen Press releases its most anticipated title so far this year, which also sweeps our picks. Scoll down to find out what it is! The List: BANDAI ENTERTAINMENT Kannagi Volume 1 GN (Of 6), $10.99 DARK HORSE COMICS Ghost Talker’s Daydream Volume 6 TP, $10.99 DIGITAL MANGA PUBLISHING Fafner Dead Aggressor Volume 2 GN, $9.95 Great Place High School Student Council Volume 2 GN, $12.95 That Was Good GN, $12.95 Tyrant Falls In Love Volume 3 GN, $12.95 **Weekly Pick** Your Story I’ve Known GN, $12.95 KODANSHA COMICS Arisa Volume 2 GN, $10.99 Fairy Tail Volume 13 GN, $10.99 **Weekly Pick** Negima Magister…

Shoyo’s ace, Fujima, drops himself into the lineup and quickly helps his team retake the lead from Shohoku, and despite struggling with fatigue, Mitsui stays on the floor as well. Realizing that they are the keys to winning the game, Coach Anzai focuses on both Mitsui’s scoring finesse and Hanamichi’s monstrous rebounding, but with only five minutes left on the game clock, Shohoku will need to deliver, and fast. Which player will ignite the spark that will carry Shohoku on to victory? And does Mitsui have enough stamina left to hit some crucial three-pointers? By Takehiko Inoue Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Genre: Sports Price: $9.99 I first read Slam Dunk during its short stint in Shonen Jump. While there was nothing wrong with the story, I just couldn’t really connect with the characters, and I don’t care about basketball, so I didn’t keep following it. Ten volumes later, I’ve picked it up again, and while I find the characters during play compelling, and all the basketball action entertaining, it’s not my cup of tea. Though I think I might have an idea who should. After ten volumes, the Shohoku basketball team seems to have really come together. The…

Reviews are subjective things. A reviewer is drawing on many things when they write their review. Besides technical things such as story structure, character development and art, a reviewers personal preferences and experiences can affect their feeling about a book. And sometimes, even their gender can make a difference as to whether a book gets a good score or bad. In the following discussions, reviewers Alex Hoffman and Lori Henderson will look at different books and examine the similarities and differences they have over each of them. Oresama Teacher Volume 1 By Izumi Tsubaki Publsiher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Genre: Romantic Comedy Price: $9.99 ISBN: 978-1421538631 Oresama Teacher is about Mafuyu, a delinquent who often got into fights. After being expelled from school, her mother sends her to an isolated school, where Mafuyu is determined to turn over a new leaf, and be more feminine, and not fight anymore. But her sense of justice gets her into trouble the night before her first day at school. She comes to the aid of a guy who is getting beat up, who also turns out to be her teacher. Now, Mafuyu has to struggle to keep her past a secret while…

  Hey, look! An actual list this week! Seven Seas has some more omnibuses, so now is the time to check out these older titles at a great price. Vertical hits fans with some series WTF with their newest title, and Viz makes it rain Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat titles, including the final volume of Hikaru no Go, and the first of their 3-in-1 titles with Kekkaishi and Naruto. The List: SEVEN SEAS ENTERTAINMENT Blood Alone Omnibus Volume 1 TP, $15.99 **Weekly Pick** Gunslinger Girl Omnibus Volume 2 TP (Of 2), $15.99 **Weekly Pick** VERTICAL 7 Billion Needles Volume 4 GN, $10.95 **Weekly Pick** Lychee Light Club Volume 1 GN, $16.95 **Weekly Pick** VIZ MEDIA AI ORE Volume 1 Love Me GN, $12.99 Bakuman Volume 4 TP, $9.99 Black Bird Volume 8 GN, $9.99 Death Note Black Edition Volume 4 TP, $14.99 Genkaku Picasso Volume 3 GN, $9.99 **Weekly Pick** Gin Tama Volume 22 TP, $9.99 Haruka Beyond The Stream Of Time Volume 12 GN, $9.99 Hikaru no Go Volume 23 TP, $9.99 Kekkaishi 3-In-1 Edition Volume 1 GN, $14.99 Kimi ni Todoke From Me To You Volume 8 GN, $9.99 **Weekly Pick** Naruto 3-In-1 Edition Volume 1 GN,…

The demon Naraku’s true intentions are finally revealed! Then, Kagome is swallowed up by the Meido. Is she finally beyond her friends’ reach? And will the final battle over the Shikon Jewel draw Inuyasha and Kagome together…or pull them apart forever?!