Welcome back, manga fans! The hardest part of doing this column is trying find the right balance between new (or new to me) comics to highlight and just putting my favorites at the top every month. It’s even more difficult when they line up due to schedule changes instead of being on alternate months. Anyway, this is all preamble to say I cut like 7 series I’ve highlighted before including “Asadora!” Vol. 5. Gotta give some other series room.
… But you all really should be reading “Asadora!” It’s got Kaiju! And Naoki Urasawa art!
11. Mysterious Crab
This entry is literally only here because I couldn’t, in good conscience, cut this cover from being shown. It’s gorgeous. The “Monogatari” series is completely unknown to me except by reputation so I couldn’t tell you if this was or was not a good entry point OR if the series is worth reading. On the latter, if it got to volume 14, then it’s gotta have something going for it. On the former, presumably not, since it’s the 14th volume.
Bakemonogatari, Vol. 14
Written by NIsioisin
Illustrated by Oh Great
Published by Oh Great
One day, high-school student Koyomi Araragi catches a girl named Hitagi Senjougahara when she trips. But-much to his surprise-she doesn’t weigh anything. At all. She says an encounter with a so-called “crab” took away all her weight. Monsters have been here since the beginning. Always. Everywhere.
10. 6 Years in the Making
Dark Horse’s history with “Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service” is pretty simple. They licensed the series, released single volumes, sales kinda stunk, so they switched to 3-in-1 omnibi and sales picked up but not enough to cover past all the volumes they’d released in singles. To give you dates, volume 14 was released in English in 2015, a whopping three years after volume 13, and the Omnibus covering 10-12 (#4) was released in 2016.
This omnibus therefore marks the return of new volumes of one of the wackiest series I’ve read. I can’t do it better justice than the solicit but I urge you to support this omnibus so we can get the full series (or at least as full as can be since it’s still ongoing) into English. If Vinland Saga can be saved by its omnibus sales, then so can this!
The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Omnibus 5
Written by Eiji Otsuka
Illustrated by Housui Yamazaki
Published by Dark Horse Comics
Book Five has the Kurosagi gang running into ever more bizarre incidents of modern horror, from mind-control mouse hats, to taxpayer-supported torture museums, to the most feared calamity of all . . . jury duty! Meanwhile, it seems a gang of corpse-clearing impostors is out to take away their meager business-and in America, someone’s made a cartoon series based off them…?! Plus, three previously unpublished stories: a client whose psychological syndrome makes her believe she’s dead; the mad robot scientist trio invents a zombie biker gang, and fugitives from a deadly cult hide out in the radioactive ruins of Fukushima!
9. Olive Kitteridge, Eat Your Heart Out
I’m a sucker for this kind of thing. Beyond the central conceit of every story being about almost-love and the ways we sabotage or fool ourselves, intentionally and otherwise, the promise of a 5 Centimeters Per Second-esque structure instantly gets it on my list. I hope it really plays it up but even if it’s just four segments tied together with a baton pass, I’ll still be happy.
Continued belowLinks
Written and Illustrated by Natsuki Kizu
Published by SuBLime
A collection of intertwining stories covering four not-quite lovers as they find what links them together.Akiba plays the piano and reminisces about Yahiko, a friend with benefits he can’t quite bring himself to call his lover, despite how freely the man cares for him.
Despite their constant bickering, Sado and Nakajo appear close enough to be lovers. But Nakajo has convinced himself he can never have Sado, which leads him to stay by his side while simultaneously looking for ways to hate him.
Shibata is an overly friendly older man who rather insistently hits on Sekiya, a socially awkward radio DJ. Even with his DJ persona, Sekiya has a hard time expressing the roil of emotions within him.
Kameda and Ogikawa get to know each other thanks to a stray cat. The two spend lazy days together, eating, drinking, and playing with their cat, all without calling it love.
8. Cozy and Romantic
I dunno about you but sometimes I’m in the mood for something simple and cozy. “Skip and Loafer” seems to be channeling that vibe without going full cottage-core. It’s a very standard rom-com set up, though I’m not sure if the rom part is even going to happen. In which case, I’m even MORE interested in this laid-back series of a small town girl going to the big city. All it needs is a cute art style and I’m…Welp. Guess it’s got me.
Skip and Loafer, Vol. 4
Written and Illustrated by Misaki Takamatsu
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
Excellent student Iwakura Mitsumi has always dreamt about leaving her small town, going to a prestigious university, and making positive change in the world. But she’s so focused on reaching her goals that she’s not prepared for the very different (and overwhelming) city life that awaits her in a Tokyo high school. Luckily, she makes fast friends with Shima Sousuke, a handsome classmate who’s as laid-back as she is over-prepared. Can this naive country girl make it big in Tokyo with Sousuke by her side?
7. Illustrated True Tales
Graphic non-fiction is often more powerful than prose non-fiction for telling personal stories as there is a greater level of nuance that can be brought to an image. This isn’t a 100% sure fire thing but as humans, visual information about how someone is feeling or acting can be far easier to understand than reading three or four paragraphs trying to describe it. As such, this anthology is perfectly suited for its thesis and promises to do what all great stories do: build connections.
My Brain is Different: Stories of ADHD and Other Developmental Disorders
Written and Illustrated by Monnzusu
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
This intimate manga anthology is about the struggles and successes of individuals learning to navigate daily life with a developmental disorder. The comics follow the stories of nine people, including: a junior high dropout finding an alternate path to education; a former “troublesome” child helping kids at a support school; a so-called problem child realizing the beauty of his own unique quirks; and a man falling in love with the world with the help of a new medication. This book illustrates the anxieties and triumphs of people living in a world not quite built with them in mind.
6. Roommates and Creative Partners
This one caught my eye because it’s another yuri title featuring adult working women, and those are often less drenched in the usual tropes of high school romances. Sometimes that’s what I’m looking for but after a while, you want to see more titles from the genre break free of the usual. This looks like it’s going to be very sweet and even if it’s nothing more than a slice-of-life series, I’m down to spend some time with these two roommates.
The Two of Them are Pretty Much Like This, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Takashi Ikeda
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
From the creator of Whispered Words! Enjoy this new slice-of-life yuri manga about two adult women in the creative industries and their shared romantic life in their apartment. Thirty-year-old Eri and twenty-year-old Wako are “roommates.” Eri is a professional writer, and Wako’s a voice actor who’s building up her reel. Having worked together and now living together, these two women in love have a nice little life for themselves! Follow this comfortable couple in a heartwarming manga tale about the everyday humor, stressors, and joys of a life shared together.
5. Is Wall Another Pseudonym for Beard?
Marriages of convenience have always been a ripe subject for dramas but “I Want to Be a Wall” decides it wants to ramp things up to 11 and add even more complications. This series could very easily make some big missteps but with an asexual main character and a gay secondary protagonist and a description that leans more drama than comedy, I am willing to give it all the shots it needs. I have so many questions about what this other family circumstance is, what Yuriko wants, what Gakurouta wants, what the situation is that forced them together, and how will their interpersonal relationships develop and change and grow or fade. I need to know!
Continued belowI Want to Be a Wall, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Honami Shirono
Published by Yen Press
Yuriko, an asexual woman, agrees to take a husband to satisfy her parents-which is how she finds herself tying the knot with Gakurouta, a gay man in love with his childhood friend with his own family circumstances. And so begins the tale of their marriage of convenience.
4. Convenience Store Assassin
It’s finally coming out in print! I love “Sakamoto Days.” The art is kinetic, the storylines are bonkers but in a campy, shonen way, and the book is funny. The closest thing I can compare it to is “Assassination Classroom” so if you liked that, you’ll love this.
Sakamoto Days, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Yuto Suzuki
Published by Viz, LLC
Taro Sakamoto was once a legendary hit man considered the greatest of all time. Bad guys feared him! Assassins revered him! But then one day he quit, got married, and had a baby. He’s now living the quiet life as the owner of a neighborhood store, but how long can Sakamoto enjoy his days of retirement before his past catches up to him?!
3. ROMEO! JULIET! ROMEO! JULIET!
I’ve already made the case for this series back in September. It’s fun, it’s got wonderful characters, and it isn’t afraid to tackle hard topics that crop up in high stress environments like the entertainment industry, though Takarezuka is a different beast. Anyway. “Kageki Shojo” is excellent and beat out a bunch of other titles on its cover alone. Look at the green and the joy in Sarasa’s face! You love to see it.
Kageki Shojo, Vol. 5
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?
2. Countdown to Destruction
If “Kageki Shojo” needs no introduction, then “Chainsaw Man” barely even needs a write up. Again, the cover is what earned it the #2 spot and if I didn’t have a personal love for #1, it would’ve easily been there. GOD that red is gorgeous.
Chainsaw Man, Vol. 10
Written and Illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto
Published by Viz, LLC
Having been forced to kill a friend, Denji finds that his brain has turned to mush from despair. Without the motivation to keep going, he seeks help from Makima. But Makima is not what she appears, and Denji’s pain is only just beginning.
1. Long Running Shojo for the Win
“Skip Beat” only releases two volumes a year so you can see why I would want to take this opportunity to highlight one of my #1 Shojo titles. Again. It’s very traditional in the will-they-won’t-they, miscommunication style of rom-com but Nakamura makes it all work. You want to see Kyoko get over her mistakes. You want to see Ren get over his insecurities. You want to see whatever hair-brained scheme the president concocted to succeed. It’s all great stuff and even though it’s slow, I look forward to every new volume’s release.
Skip Beat!, Vol. 46
Written and Illustrated by Yoshiki Nakamura
Published by Viz, LLC
When Kyoko’s heart is broken, she decides that revenge is a dish best served in the spotlight!
Kyoko Mogami followed her true love Sho to Tokyo to support him while he made it big as an idol. But he’s casting her out now that he’s famous! Kyoko won’t suffer in silence-she’s going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz!Ren Tsuruga loves Kyoko Mogami! It would be the news of the century, but they have to keep it quiet to protect their privacy and their careers. While the happy couple is content to focus on their professional goals for the time being, Ren’s legion of fans won’t rest until they know what’s going on with their fave. Are any secrets safe from these internet detectives?!
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Anything I missed? What are YOU looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!
