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Soliciting Multiversity: Top 10 Manga for December 2021

By | September 27th, 2021
Posted in Columns | % Comments

Welcome back, manga fans! December is a bit of a dry month this year, likely because of the ongoing shortages of everything and massive delays via everywhere. Why else would the holiday season solicits be so empty? That said, because I’m me, I STILL struggled to pair this list down. Shout out to “Chainsaw Man” for just missing the cut, which I caught up on and is BONKERS, and “Cagaster,” which is Ablaze’s next manga box set and is an interesting manga I wanna check out one day because I heard the Netflix adaptation was a steaming pile.

Anyway, without further ado, let’s see what DID make the cut, shall we?

10. Refinement, Manners, and Poise are Necessary in GITTING GUD

Two girls bonding over their intense love, and intense playing, of video games at a super snooty, hoity-toity boarding school sounds like my idea of a fun time. However, the cover gives off a very different vibe to the description so who knows! Maybe she’s in the depths of despair after getting absolutely demolished in a Fortnite round or having her 300-hour Minecraft house blown up. That would crush anyone’s spirits.

Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games, Vol. 2
Written and Illustrated by Eri Ejima
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment

This over-the-top comedy about delicate young ladies indulging in hardcoregaming is soon to be an anime!

Kuromi Girls’ Academy is a refined, elegant school that expects the very best in deportment from its young ladies. Aya got into this peerless rich-girls’ institution on a scholarship, and hopes to grow as lovely as her fellow student and idol Shirayui. But Shirayui hides a terrible secret: she’s a trash-talking, combo-chaining, newbie-stomping, ruthless hardcore gamer! Could a mutual indulgence in no-holds-barred video game combat grow into a deeper rapport between these two girls?

9. Gregor Samsa’s School for Girls

So…this thing sounds like all kinds of weird. Uniforms made of students’ hair, mysterious disappearances, and the promise of a dramatic transformation are all mysterious enough to get my attention but the cover is what sells it. It’s sensual, it’s dark, and the art is loose and clean. I hope it leans all the way into the weird, otherwise I think this might end up being a dud of a rec.

Cocoon Entwined, Vol. 4
Written and Illustrated by Yuriko Hara
Published by Yen Press

One day, a single girl disappeared from Hoshimiya Girls’ Academy, where the uniforms are traditionally made from the students’ hair. Although she lost her love, the academy’s “prince,” Hana Saeki, continues on without changing. But at the same time, Youko, who confessed her feelings to Hana, undergoes a dramatic transformation…

8. Robots from Tomorrow

If you’ve read my column before, you know I love sci-fi and I love weird, contemplative sci-fi and this looks like it’s gonna scratch both those itches. There’s a character named Triangle Head! What more could you ask for?

Country Without Humans, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Iwatobineko
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment

A hauntingly beautiful tale about the last human in a mechanical world. Shii is the only human left in a city inhabited by nothing but machines. As she flees through the eerie streets, hunted by the sinister Triangle Head, she encounters a golem named Bulb. Can Shii survive long enough to form a friendship with this strange creature-and perhaps even change the world?

7. Kaiju Fighting but Gay

I’m not hugely into Kaiju media but anything that’s a new take on the genre gets a big thumbs up from me. I dunno if this actually takes any new twists but it is billed as a yuri and we don’t get many non-slice-of-life/romance yuri manga in the west so more please yes!

Semelparous, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Jun Ogino
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment

Within a walled city that separates our world from the kaiju trying to destroy it, humanity fights for survival in this intense new yuri series. Ever since they were young girls, best friends Yorino and Haruka have been training to become Bastioners-soldiers who battle in a walled area that protects humanity from the kaiju trying to break through. But when Haruka is killed during a routine exercise, Yorino must fight even harder to make sure she never loses someone close to her again.

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6. Kaiju Fightingbut Shonen

OK. I know I just said I don’t love the Kaiju genre but I really do love “Kaiju No. 8.” It feels fresh, it’s got killer, clean art, and it sits in that sweet spot between the really weird “Jujutsu Kaisen” or “Chainsaw Man” and the very traditional “One Piece” and “My Hero Academia.” You should get on the “No. 8” train before it really gets going.

Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Naoya Matsumoto
Published by Viz Media, LLC

With the highest kaiju-emergence rates in the world, Japan is no stranger to attack by deadly monsters. Enter the Japan Defense Force, a military organization tasked with the neutralization of kaiju. Kafka Hibino, a kaiju corpse cleanup man, has always dreamed of joining the force and wants another shot at achieving his childhood dream of eliminating the kaiju. But how can he expect to fight kaiju when he suddenly becomes one himself?!

5. Classics Never Go Out of Style

It’s no surprise that I put this classic collection on the list. I may have zero connection to the Kamen Rider franchise but that won’t stop me from telling you all about this book. It’s always great when classics come over because it’s a glimpse into the past and, sometimes, it allows us to see why people fell in love with a series in the first place.

Kamen Rider Classic Manga Collection
Written and Illustrated by Shotaro Ishinomori
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment

The original run of the legendary Kamen Rider manga, now in English as a special 50th anniversary omnibus! Fans the world over have long been enthralled by tales of Kamen Rider, the masked, motorcycle-riding superhero who protects the world from injustice. Kidnapped and experimented upon by the evil terrorist organization known as Shocker, Hongo Takeshi manages to escape their clutches and use his newfound strength to fight against their schemes. These are his very first adventures, drawn and written by series creator and manga superstar Shotaro Ishinomori, the beginning of a legacy that spans dozens of television series and films. Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Kamen Rider’s original 1971 publication, this beautiful hardcover edition contains the first Kamen Rider manga series plus special bonus materials and full-color inserts.

4. Junji Ito: The Early Years

It’s another Junji Ito collection. There’s not much more to say about it other than it features a lot of early work, which has me very excited. It’ll probably be a lot more hit or miss but hey, more Ito is always good.

Deserter: Junji Ito Story Collection
Written and Illustrated by Junji Ito
Published by Viz Media, LLC

A vengeful family hides an army deserter for eight years after the end of World War II, cocooning him in a false reality where the war never ended. A pair of girls look alike, but they aren’t twins. And a boy’s nightmare threatens to spill out into the real world…This hauntingly strange story collection showcases a dozen of Junji Ito’s earliest works from when he burst onto the horror scene, sowing fresh seeds of terror.

3. An Anthology in my Anthology? Inconceivable.

I really wish I could look at the cover of this and push that as the only important thing, but unfortunately Previews just has a placeholder image. I mean, what more can you say about more Akira Toriyama comics? Nothing. That’s what. Go pick it up and marvel at a modern master.

Akira Toriyama Manga Theater
Written and Illustrated by Akira Toriyama
Published by Viz Media, LLC

From Akira Toriyama, the legendary manga creator of Dragon Ball, comes this special collection of short stories spanning the first few decades of his career. Serving as both a collection of his early works and a history of his life as a manga writer and illustrator, this giant tome is packed with everything you could ever want as a fan of classic shonen manga!

2. You Should Be Reading This

I’ve gushed about “Maison Ikkoku” before and I’m here to do it again. This series is growing to be one of my favorite works by Takahashi. It’s funny, heartfelt, absurd, and grounded. Everyone in the cast is a bit of a gremlin and I love them for it. If you haven’t read this yes, please correct that.

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Maison Ikkoku: Collector’s Edition, Vol. 6
Written and Illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi
Published by Viz Media, LLC

Yusaku Godai and apartment manager Kyoko Otonashi take Nozomu Nikaido under their wing when the 18-year-old student moves into Maison Ikkoku. After Nikaido falls victim to Mr. Yotsuya’s pranks, he is bent on revenge, but is Nikaido any match for the mysterious trickster?

1. Lights! Costumes! Kouka!

“Kageki Shojo!!” just wrapped up its first season and I am already clamoring for more. The series has a great cast, excellent drama, and I absolutely love the concept: two oddballs trying to learn about themselves and become the top stars of a famous Takarazuka acting company. The cast faces adversity, both societal and personal, and the series is not afraid to shy away from the difficult and dark aspects of the industry or of people, but it retains a hopeful and aspirational outlook on life..

While I think “Maison Ikkoku” is the stronger work overall, “Kageki Shojo!!” beat that one out because I’m really excited to keep reading, cause it’s more modern, and because I love the cover and wanted it to be the main image.

Kageki Shojo!!, Vol. 3
Written and Illustrated by Kumiko Saiki
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment

Watanabe Sarasa has a dream: she wants to play the role of Oscar as part of the Kouka Acting Troupe, an all-female acting troupe similar to Takarazuka Revue. But before she can do that, she has to attend two years at the Kouka School of Musical and Theatrical Arts. As Sarasa practices singing, dancing, and acting, she grows closer to the other girls in her year, including her roommate, the stoic former J-idol Ai. But though Sarasa is great at making friends, her outspoken nature and grand ambitions earn her lots of enemies as well. Can Sarasa keep her upbeat attitude and achieve her dream of stardom?

Anything I missed? What are YOU looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!


//TAGS | Soliciting Multiversity

Elias Rosner

Elias is a lover of stories who, when he isn't writing reviews for Mulitversity, is hiding in the stacks of his library. Co-host of Make Mine Multiversity, a Marvel podcast, after winning the no-prize from the former hosts, co-editor of The Webcomics Weekly, and writer of the Worthy column, he can be found on Twitter (for mostly comics stuff) here and has finally updated his profile photo again.

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