Manga Village

Fumi Yoshinaga was first introduced to US audiences through her BL titles. But this versatile writer has also created stories for young adults and adult audiences that both men and women can enjoy. She is also the featured creator of this month’s Manga Movable Feast. So here are the Villagers talking up their favorite Yoshinaga titles.

Life is always about patterns. In the pharmacy world, we look at physician prescribing patterns, dispensing patterns by geographical location, and pricing patterns based on trending legal proceedings. In manga, we see patterns in various genres – the shonen fighting manga, the shojo school-girl manga, all have similar formats that we know sell well, and work well in the Japanese market. Some series attempt to subvert or modify these patterns, which is part of their appeal (or the reason we don’t like them). Even authors follow patterns based on what they are interested in, or what they like to discuss. By Naoki Urasawa Publisher: Viz Media – Viz Signature Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Thriller Price: $12.99 Naoki Urasawa has a pattern that manifests itself all too frequently in his suspense and thriller manga – when he gets stuck, or doesn’t know how to work his way out of a problem that he has written himself in, he introduces new characters to his stories. In 20th Century Boys, Volume 7, we see Urasawa flounder to produce a back story for the Bloody New Years, and so he introduces a student Koizumi who looks too closely at the history books, and…

Publisher’s description: In a savage world ruled by the pursuit of the most delicious foods, it’s either eat or be eaten! While searching for the tastiest foods imaginable, Gourmet Hunter Toriko and his bottomless stomach travel around the world facing every beast in his way. When Toriko is hired to capture the rare and delicious Puffer Whale, he’s going to require some help. In order to remove the Puffer Whale’s poison Toriko will need to track down his old friend and fellow gourmet hunter, Coco, but will this team be enough to beat the other dangerous hunters to the prized ingredient? By: Mutsutoshi Shimabukuro Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Genre: Action/Food Price: $9.99 There’s two kinds of shows, for the most part, on the basic cable Food Network. From the beginning, it’s been a channel dominated by the cooking show as invented by Julia Childs: engaging, knowledgeable host makes cooking and recipes both fascinating and accessible at the same time. Then there’s the contest shows, in which various skilled chefs compete against themselves and each other to produce the most delicious, conceptually stunning food possible. Whether cozy or over-the-top (Sarah Moulton vs. Guy Fieri), crazy or deadly serious (Outrageous…

Leaving her internship at Sushi Hyuga to go on her family’s annual trip to France is the last thing Hanayu wants to do. On the other hand, a pastry-research trip in Europe is Hayato’s idea of a dream come true–can the two aspiring chefs ever catch a break? Plus, Hayato has become suspicious of patisserie assistant Maezawa, who has expressed an interest in Hanayu. As it turns out, both Hanayu and Hayato may have their wires crossed about what Maezawa is really after! By: Ayumi Komura Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Genre: Romance/Food Price: $9.99 I read the first 2 preview chapters for this series back when Shojo Beat was still around, and wasn’t impressed. Further reviews from fellow reviewers didn’t inspire me to look further into the series, and I’m not a foodie, so this volume had three strikes against it going in. But it actually wasn’t so bad. There wasn’t anything great about it. It’s a fairly average title, but I didn’t regret the time I spent reading it. Hanaya and Hayato, the leads that I found so annoying in the preview chapters of volume 1, aren’t so bad by this volume. Hanaya no longer has to…

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…

I guess this shows my age, but I’m one of those kids that was part of the original Power Rangers generation. When I was little, I would wake up early to watch Power Rangers, chomping at a bowl of Cheerios and waiting to see what kind of cool, gigantic monster the Power Rangers would have to fight. I’m sure that this formative education is why I enjoy the mediocre Rosario + Vampire; I can’t get enough of the baddies Tsukune and his harem fight every week. By Mohiro Kitoh Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Drama/Mecha Price: $12.95 The giant robots genre is a staple in both Japanese and American pop culture. Voltron, the Autobots, and Power Rangers litter the kid’s television landscape. Most of these shows, with a few notable exceptions, are sugar sweet, sappy tales that don’t really challenge the viewer in an emotional fashion – and why should they? These shows are media intended to be consumed by kids around the age of 5. Some writers have challenged the status quo of the genre, but none have done it quite as effectively as Mohiro Kito, a writer with a knack for subverting seemingly incorruptible subject…

Global warming, animal rights, organic foods, military conflict, school funding, balanced national budgets, urban development; all of these buzz word topics cause a lot of discussion and argument in political circles. I imagine that many others, like me, have said, “What would I do differently if I were in charge and could make decisions?” It’s a daydream that I visit constantly. The struggle for power is one that dominates people’s lives and fills their imaginations. As Tears for Fears so eloquently puts it, “Everybody wants to rule the world.” By Megumi Osuga Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen+ Genre: Mystery/Drama Price: $9.99 But what would you do to rule the world? What is right and wrong, and what sacrifices will you have to make to ensure your vision reaches completion? That question is the central theme that runs between the covers of Viz Media’s latest Shonen Sunday book, Maoh: Juvenile Remix. Longtime residents of Nekota City are troubled by rapid modernization. It threatens old ways, promises to destroy current businesses. Progress is correlated with corruption. Up until now, though, no one has stood against the strip-mall building, profits-checking businessmen who threaten to destroy the traditional Nekota City way of life….

Getting a book in the mail that you didn’t order or didn’t think you wanted to have can end up being a mini-Christmas. I love Christmas. That is why, when Daniella Orihuela-Gruber threw out the idea of having a manga exchange, sort of like a pen-pal arrangement, I jumped right on it. Having someone decide what you’re getting is a thrilling experience. I sent Ed Sizemore the first volume of Aishiteruze Baby, and received the One Piece vol. 1-3 omnibus from Jammer of Jammer’s Animovie Blog. By Eiichiro Oda Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Genre: Action Price: $14.99 I’ve heard stories about One Piece. I’ve seen the rave reviews. I’ve read how some of my favorite manga bloggers are in love with the book. Yet, up until Jammer sent me the first three volumes of the series, I had never thought of picking it up, or even borrowing it from the local library. Where One Piece should be a part of my “manga awareness,” instead there was a blank spot. With Jammer’s help and Daniella’s guidance, I’m getting a chance to finally see what the hype is about. One Piece starts by introducing the main character, a one Monkey…

I have to blame my current shojo addiction on David Welsh, of the Manga Curmudgeon, and my own blogger’s  nagging insecurity that I’ve been missing out on something. When I first started up the manwha Pig Bride from Yen Press and Viz Media‘s Aishiteruze Baby, I found out that this girly, sparkly, cutesy manga was… actually, a lot of fun. A guilty pleasure, if you will. By Shouko Akira Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Genre: High School/Romance Price: $8.99 Like shonen manga, shojo tends to fall into categories, and the high-school love story is pretty popular. There are others, like the reverse harem for example, but some of the more interesting series (in my opinion) on the market right now are high-school love stories –  Kimi ni Todoke, We Were There, and Itazura Na Kiss are fantastic. Monkey High! is another high-school romance, but does things a bit differently. In Monkey High!, female lead Haruna Aizawa is an uncharacteristically cold girl who, probably due to a recent scandal her politician father has been in, tends to think that everyone in high-school is just playing on a monkey mountain. She’s seen her “friends” from K Academy leave her, and it…

With Ryo’s birthday around the corner, Asuka’s all aflutter making preparations for the festivities.  Even the best-laid plans tend to go awry, however…especially when Ryo already has plans with another man!