Welcome back, manga fans! March is another light month but even in light months, I struggle to pair these lists down. Thankfully, I’m getting more ruthless. Unfortunately that also means I’m more likely to break the rules and add an extra. I really should just make this a Top 11.
10.5. “Final” Volume Cheating
I have read all of Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys” except the volumes contained in this second to last Perfect Edition and I didn’t want to let this opportunity pass me by to at least mention it. I have been waiting three years to do a re-read and I’m almost there. Then, after this, three more months to wait for the final, final volume, collecting “21st Century Boys.” Wish me luck y’all.
20th Century Boys: Perfect Edition, Vol. 11
Written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa
Published by Viz
There once was a kid who imagined the end of the world. It was all a child’s game-but not anymore! The Friend is carrying out his plan to exterminate humanity-just as predicted. And the man who survived Bloody New Year’s Eve is on his way back to Tokyo. The boys are coming back together one by one as they race toward the final battle.
10. Fear and Loathing in Magic Land
While this is also technically a re-release omnibus, I picked it because 1) I’ve never heard of the series before and thus it’s new to me and probably many others and 2) it’s got a premise I’m tentatively intrigued by. The teasing of “too dark to even contemplate” worries me a little but I mean, the best stories have these kinds of hooks. Will this be good? It was popular enough to get a re-release in the states as a single unit so we’ll see! Plus, short series like these don’t get much love and that’s a damn shame.
When a Magician’s Pupil Smiles
Written and illustrated by Chisaki Kanai
Published by Yen Press
Ouka Namae, a magician’s pupil, is incapable of feeling emotion. That is…he’s almost incapable. There is one particular circumstance when his feelings rise to the surface, but the scenario that unleashes them is too dark to even contemplate… The complete story is here in this three volume omnibus release!
9. Three-peat
I have yet to read the first two volumes but everyone who’s checked it out from the library I work at has really enjoyed them. I presume it’s a slow, moody romance and I am always down for that. I didn’t know there was a third volume but now that I know there is, I’m eagerly awaiting its release.
I Hear the Sunspot, Vol 3: Limit
Written and illustrated by Yuki Fumino
Published by One Peace Books
Stunningly handsome Kohei Sugihara was outgoing and popular with the girls at school. But when a sudden illness left him with partial hearing loss, he grew quiet and reluctant to engage with others. At college, a chance encounter with an ever-optimistic classmate named Taichi Sagawa helped Kohei open up once more. And over time, the two began to develop feelings for each other. As the story continues, the pair tries to balance their budding relationship alongside Taichi’s inspiring new career and Kohei’s continued studies. But things don’t always go as planned. One day, seemingly out of nowhere, Kohei announces that maybe they should spend some time apart.
8. We All Flock Together Down Here
Clueless detectives? Birbs? Gay meet cutes? Sign me the hell up!
Continued belowToritan: Birds of a Feather, Vol. 2
Written and illustrated by Kotetsuko Yamamoto
Published by SuBLime
Ever since he was a child, private detective Inusaki has had the unenviable talent of being able to communicate with birds. And even though he’s never liked birds, he somehow ends up getting his heart broken by one! Conveniently there to pick up the pieces, though, is his landlady’s son, Mitsuru, whose voice sounds suspiciously like that of the fowl heartbreaker, Kuro. And it’s not long before Mitsuru confesses his feelings to the clueless detective, even landing a quick peck. Will Inusaki the private dick stop brooding long enough to get a clue?
7. To the Gulag
More Tezuka classics making their way to the states courtesy of Digital Manga Distribution and this time, it’s his adaptation of Dostoyevsky’s “Crime and Punishment.” I really want to find out how the God of Manga adapted the cold, punishing novel with his bouncy, Disney-esque art. Considering his “serious” works are very disturbing still, I expect nothing less than a unique and masterful experience.
Crime and Punishment
Written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka
Published by Digital Manga Distribution
In Russia, on the eve of the revolution, a young student named Raskolnikov murders an old pawnbroker over a pocket watch. Although an innocent man is quickly arrested for the crime, Raskolnikovs’s own published essay – suggesting that people who are “extra-ordinary” are above such things as “right” and “wrong” – draws the suspicion of judge Porfiry. Who will catch up to Raskolnikov first? Porfiry … or his own guilty conscience?
6. Double O Doggo
“Spy X Family” is one of those titles I keep being told to read but I just haven’t gotten around to it. Volume 4 has the BEST DOGGO ON IT JUST LOOK AT HIS FLOOFY COAT and so I have to read it all right now and so do you.
Spy x Family, Vol. 4
Written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo
Published by Viz, LLC
The Forgers look into adding a dog to their family, but this is no easy task-especially when Twilight has to simultaneously foil an assassination plot against a foreign minister! The perpetrators plan to use specially trained dogs for the attack, but Twilight gets some unexpected help to stop these terrorists.
5. The Shape is a Pinched Sphere. Duh.
I really like these kinds of meditative, probably sad, stories about people discovering the world around them. The art-style has captured my attention and while this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea – think Oscar bait – I will hungrily devour this with tears in my eyes and sniffles in my nose.
Hana-Chan and the Shape of the World
Written and illustrated by Ryotaro Ueda
Published by Yen Press
It’s the story of a girl. A girl who lives in the country. A girl encountering fragments, both bitter and sweet, of the world around her. It’s the story of the shape of her world.
4. GO GO POWER RANGERS DAAAANAAANAAANAANAAAAH
I have said it before but I was never a Power Rangers guy. Despite living in prime Ranger time, I never got into them. That said, I’m really, really curious to read the original manga that was written and drawn by the guy who created the original Super Sentai Gorenger show. With art that looks similar to Tezuka’s or Go Nagai, it’s got that classic feel going for it too. I love that we’re getting older series in these hardcovers and I hope the trend continues. You never know what gems will come out of it.
Super Sentai: Himitsu Sentai Gorenger Classic Collection
Written and illustrated by Shotaro Ishinomori
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment, LLC
Shotaro Ishinomori’s classic manga that helped inspire decades of Super Sentai adventures, and later gave rise to the Power Rangers, in English for the first time ever! An evil secret society called the Black Cross Army threatens world peace, and only an elite task force known as the Earth Guard League (EAGLE) can stop them. After the Black Cross Army destroys EAGLE’s headquarters across Japan, only five young recruits survive. Hiding in a secret underground base, they are given enhanced battlesuits that empower them with superhuman abilities, transforming the youths into an unstoppable squad to combat evil. Tied to the first Japanese Super Sentai tokusatsu TV series ever made, this genre-defining work laid the groundwork for decades of such adventures. Read Shotaro Ishinomori’s original manga adaptation of Himitsu Sentai Gorenger in this beautiful hardcover collection.
3. Find Yourself. Lose Yourself. Become Part Dragon. ??? Profit.
I adore this series and every time a new volume drops I snatch it up. Yamazaki’s world is vibrant and imaginative without losing the dark edge that makes the best fantasy tales. You know the ones. They stick with you long after you put them down because they are equal parts wonder and awe and fear. Yamazaki also understands that life and language is messy and I find myself falling in love with the series more and more.
Continued belowAnd no it’s not just because one of the characters’ name is Elias and the dub of the anime says it like I do. Not in the slightest.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Vol. 14
Written and illustrated by Kore Yamazaki
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment, LLC
Hatori Chise has lived a life full of neglect and abuse, devoid of anything resembling love. Far from the warmth of family, she has had her share of troubles and pitfalls. Just when all hope seems lost, a fated encounter awaits her. When a man with the head of a beast, wielding strange powers, obtains her through a slave auction, Chise’s life will never be the same again. The man is a “magus,” a sorcerer of great power, who decides to free Chise from the bonds of captivity. The magus then makes a bold statement: Chise will become his apprentice – and his wife!
2. Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself
Series with all LGBT+ characters are rare in manga. Sure there are plenty of series that focus on a singular set of characters but there is not usually a variety of folx like “Shinonome Tasogare” did. “Love Me for Who I Am” seems to have a wonderful ensemble, tackles complicated questions of assumptions, gender, and the ways our societies — in this case Japan’s — shape them. Plus, an explicitly non-binary main character is very rare in manga (or any media here in the states) so I say fuck yeah let’s go!
Love Me for Who I Am, Vol. 3
Written and illustrated by Kata Konayama
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment, LLC
Mogumo is a cute but lonely high school student who just wants a few loving friends. Fellow student Iwaoka Tetsu invites Mogumo to work at his family’s café for “cross-dressing boys,” but he makes an incorrect assumption: Mogumo is non-binary and doesn’t identify as a boy or a girl. However, Mogumo soon finds out that the café is run by LGBT+ folks of all stripes, all with their own reasons for congregating there. This touching manga explores gender, gender presentation, and sexuality from many different angles, including the ways people are pushed to conform in a world that doesn’t understand them… until the world begins to learn, one person at a time.
1. Killing Me Softly
Dark. Psychological. Shojo. No more words needed to sell me. I’m in for the ride, be it amazing or messy as all hell.
Something’s Wrong with Us, Vol. 6
Written and illustrated by Natsumi Ando
Published by Kodansha Comics
A spine-chilling and steamy romance between a Japanese sweets maker and the man who framed her mother for murder-Something’s Wrong With Us is the dark, psychological, sexy shojo series readers have been waiting for!Following in her mother’s footsteps, Nao became a traditional Japanese sweets maker, and at 21, she’s about to take the industry by storm. With unparalleled artistry and a bright attitude, she gets an offer to work at a world-class confectionary company. But when she meets the young, handsome owner, she recognizes his cold stare…It’s none other than Tsubaki, her childhood friend and first crush-the same boy who stood over his father’s bloodied body 15 years ago, and framed Nao’s mother for the murder. As the only witness of that fateful night, Nao is eager to chase down the truth and confirm her suspicions. Since Tsubaki has no clue who she is, she seizes her chance to get close to him, but instead of finding any answers, she begins falling deeper for Tsubaki’s allure…
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Anything I missed? What are YOU looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!
