Welcome back, manga fans! Since Previews has a section of the catalog dedicated to manga, we’ll be highlighting that section’s most notable upcoming releases every month. Read on to see what stuck out to us!
10. Done in one!
Okay, so it was initially two volumes, but how often is it that an entire manga series gets collected into one volume, especially for an English translation? The concept sounds like a budget Junji Ito collection, but you can’t beat having a whole series in one volume.
Dark Metro: Ultimate Edition
Written by Tokyo Calen
Illustrated by Yoshiken
Published by Tokyopop
Terror awaits the people of Tokyo, with gruesome lessons only the dead can teach. Anna almost descends to the dark side when she follows the suicidal Rei down an escalator to hell. Seiya pulls her back, but will they make it out of Tokyo’s secret metro lines in time to escape Rei and the ghosts who inhabit the Tokyo underground? A waitress at a maid cafe sparks jealousy. A mother who can’t handle the responsibility of raising her child commits a horrible crime. An ancient sword awakens a psychotic samurai. And finally, the solemn guide Seiya reveals his own tragic past and the nature of his gifts that are his curse.
9. A sign?
While I recommend watching the show instead of reading this adaptation (final volume notwithstanding), this listing caught my interest. I don’t remember seeing these Evangelion volumes being re-offered since I started writing this column. They’ve been in print, justt never highlighted like they are this month. We know the show is coming to Netflix soon; is this a definitive sign that the show will be put on the service in May?
Neon Genesis Evangelion 3-in-1 Edition, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
Published by Viz Media
Once Shinji didn’t care about anything; then he found people to fight for–only to learn that he couldn’t protect them or keep those he let into his heart from going away. As mankind tilts on the brink of the apocalyptic Third Impact, human feelings are fault lines leading to destruction and just maybe, redemption and rebirth.
8. “Another Episode?” More like “Another Way To Squeeze Content Out Of An IP,” am I right?
Each month, I like to highlight at least one of these types of “formerly a game that turned into a manga that became an anime that now has a spin-off” books. Here’s this month’s requisite volume. The good news is twofold: 1) “Dangan Ronpa” has a pretty decent following in the US, and 2) this is actually original content, not an adaptation or retelling of an existing story! “Dangan Ronpa” fans, check it out!
Dangan Ronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Hajime Touya
Published by Dark Horse
Danganronpa Another Episode: Ultra Despair Girls is the missing story that goes between the original Danganronpa: The Animation manga and the recently published manga series Danganronpa 2: Ultimate Luck and Hope and Despair. Komaru Naegi, the younger sister of the original story’s protagonist Makoto, teams up with her brother’s fellow survivor, gloomy romance author Toko Fukawa . . . also known as the crazed serial killer Genocide Jack (Jill)!
7. This month’s fantasy pick.
Always gotta have a fantasy pick, and the words “lushly illustrated” will usually get me to look. While this doesn’t look much different from the new fantasy series we usually see, there’s always a chance these titles will get a new younger reader into comics, and I have to praise that.
Continued belowMythical Beast Investigator, volume 1
Written by Koichiro Hoshino
Illustrated by Keishi Ayasato
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
A lushly illustrated manga about a girl and her mysterious protector, sure to appeal to fans of The Ancient Magus’ Bride and The Girl From the Other Side: Si il, a R n! In a dangerous land where fantastical creatures exist, humans must live beside dragons and other supernatural monsters. That’s where Mythical Beast Investigators like Ferry come in. Ferry might look like a young girl, but she has extensive knowledge of magical creatures and dreams of creating peace between humankind and monsters. With her otherworldly bodyguard Kushuna by her side, Ferry will work to calm any conflict, no matter where that takes her!
6. This month in genre-melding.
High school romance-drama mixed with monster movie thrills. Mixing disparate genres has great potential to turn each genre’s tropes on their head, so I’m hopeful this volume will turn out as fun as the concept sounds!
Kaiju Girl Caramelise, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Spica Aoki
Published by Yen Press
Suffering from a rare, incurable illness that causes frightening changes to her body whenever she gets worked up, loner Kuroe Akaishi spends her high school days avoiding her classmates, especially class idol, Arata Minami, and his groupies. But when Arata starts making her heart skip a beat with irritating regularity, Kuroe soon discovers that her illness actually has a big–make that, MONSTER–secret! Romance turns her into Love-zilla…literally!
5. Collected in full!
“Princess Jellyfish” is yet another of those manga I’ve wanted to read for a while but haven’t gotten around to yet. If you’re like me and haven’t been picking up the volumes as the English translations have come out, Kodansha is putting out the whole 9-volume English run (originally 17 Japanese volumes) in one big box set. Guess it’s time to finally give that 99c digital copy of volume 1 a read…
Princess Jellyfish Box Set
Written and Illustrated by Akiko Higashimura
Published by Kodansha Comics
The complete hit manga about geek girls in Tokyo, in a premium collector’s box set with exclusive bonus item! Tsukimi Kurashita moves into the Amamizukan to take refuge with other geek girls. But real life has a way of crashing in, even when you’re hiding among socially-inept manga artists, history buffs, and doll fanatics. This massive box set includes all nine volumes of the Princess Jellyfish manga, including a full-color illustration gallery, author interviews, extensive cultural annotations, and a look inside the creator’s studio.
4. Hardcover trailblazer.
Yet another series where I still have yet to read the digital 99c volume 1 that I acquired a while ago. If “Sailor Moon” was the benchmark for Japanese magical girl series, “Cardcaptor Sakura” was the next step for English fans to explore. This new version will collect slightly more story page per volume, along with some extras, and will present the series in hardcover for the first time. Considering that the only magical girl series I’ve given a fair shot was the take that purposely flipped the genre tropes on their head (Puella Magi Madoka Magica), I’m curious to experience a more straightforward example of the genre.
Cardcaptor Sakura: Collector’s Edition, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Clamp
Published by Kodansha Comics
Cardcaptor Sakura is one of the all-time classics of the magical girl genre, and the Collector’s Edition will be the definitive version of the story, for both long-time fans and readers new to the story. The adventures of the plucky Sakura Kinomoto are as adorably thrilling as ever, as she tracks down the magical Clow Cards and plunges headlong into a world of sorcery beyond anything she could’ve imagined. Each of the 9 volumes will come with a Clow Card insert; when assembled, all 9 cards form an extra-large illustration. With its new cover art and translation edit, this will be the absolute definitive edition of this shojo classic.
3. New Shonen Sunday??
Viz tends to publish the shonen manga with the widest appeal, specializing in action titles with bold premises and simple, easy to understand character types, all under the Shonen Jump imprint. So I’m always interested when they pick up a shonen title that doesn’t quite fit in with the rest. In fact, they have a separate and infrequently-used imprint, Shonen Sunday, to publish these titles. “Komi Can’t Communicate” fits perfectly into that niche: a drama with more complex characters, but still with a solid premise with a clear built-in goal (become a better communicator in order to make 100 friends).
All that is to say, I think this is the best of both worlds for my tastes, and I’m excited for this title in a way I don’t get very often with shonen action titles.
Continued belowKomi Can’t Communicate, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Tomohito Oda
Published by Viz Media
Timid Tadano is a total wallflower, and that’s just the way he likes it. But all that changes when he finds himself alone in a classroom on the first day of high school with the legendary Komi. He quickly realizes she isn’t aloof-she’s just super awkward. Now he’s made it his mission to help her on her quest to make 100 friends!
2. Follow the crab.
The mixture of crude and detailed art styles grabbed me, and the odd perspective held onto me, but the promise to explore Japanese indie comics is what got me to commit to this as the number two pick. Even after a few years of exploring and a few months of writing this column, I’m still learning my way around the Japanese comics scene, so this will be a great opportunity to learn about its lesser-known corners.
An Invitation from a Crab
Written and Illustrated by panpanya
Published by Denpa
If you are ever fortunate enough to see a crab strolling through your neighborhood, please follow its lead. By slowing down to a crab’s pace and looking around and about in this world, you too may discover life’s many mysteries that are hidden in plain sight. This English-language debut from artist panpanya collects eighteen short stories detailing the comicical, creepy and whimsical world of Japan’s indie comic scene.
1. Endometrium? I hardly knew her…
It’s a manga about the personification of a period! With such a unique concept and an offbeat art style, this has the potential to be all sorts of emotional, informative, funny, and best of all, human. This is exactly the kind of oddball concept that I read comics for.
Little Miss P, volume 1
Written and Illustrated by Ken Koyama
Published by Yen Press
It’s that time of the month, and you know what that means…a visit from Aunt Flo–scratch that–Little Miss P! This pink, anthropomorphized period’s not so lean, kinda mean, and a gut-busting, butt-kicking machine! (Just ask Mr. Erection…) Follow Little Miss P as she traverses time advising, harassing, abusing, and comforting women on her (usually) monthly visits in this uniquely weird and surprisingly touching manga!
—
Anything you’re looking forward to that I overlooked? Let me know in the comments!
