Welcome back, manga fans! You’ll be proud to know that I managed to cut my list down to 10 this month without cheating a little. Sure, there was a new “Berserk” deluxe volume listed and a few whose 8th volume cover caught my eye but I stayed true and fast and only picked 10! Thank goodness for the glut of Isekai series I don’t much care for. I’m sure plenty of you are wondering why I never put them on a list and maybe I’ll do a month that’s all Isekai of all different genres. We’ll see. For now, get ready for my list!
10. It’s HBO, I SWEAR
You never know what oddities you’ll find scouring the previews but I got one here in “Manga Diary of a Male Porn Star.” Clearly X rated rather than just an M rated exploration of the industry, I still find myself drawn to the story. I wanna watch this guy royally screw up! I wanna see hijinks ensue on the set of a porn shoot. I’m seriously curious if this will take a very rosy-view of an industry that often exploits the women involved, if it will frankly talk about that in between bouts of comedy, and I wonder how different it is from the American industry. Is it all fiction (i.e. a fantasy) or more autobiographical? I don’t know but I’m really curious.
All it took was one short blurb and I’m ready to read this. For the plot, of course.
Manga Diary of a Male Porn Star, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Erefante Kaeruno
Published by Ghost Ship
A comedy that explores the ins-and-outs of working in the adult film industry! When your company goes bankrupt and your marriage is on the rocks, what’s a guy to do? Move to Tokyo to become an adult film star, of course! This diary-style comedy explores the pitfalls of an everyman who tries to break into the world of porn because it seems like a pleasurable way to restart his life. He soon learns that it’s a harder job than he bargained for!
9. Big Chonk
I feel like I highlight a cat manga at least once in every column so here’s our requisite entry into that strange genre that is many genres. This looks like it will be funny and heartwarming with a touch of surreality. I mean, there’s a giant black cat who is the equivalent of Tatsu from “The Way of the Househusband” with a little less Yakuza. What’s not to love?
Masterful Cat Depressed Again Today, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Hitsuji Yamada
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
When Saku took in a stray black cat, she never expected that he would become the equivalent of a housekeeping life partner. But Yukichi, a giant cat who towers over Saku, is not your ordinary feline. He takes great pride in his culinary skills, and a good sale at the supermarket always gets his whiskers twitching. Saku may not have her act together yet, but at least she has Yukichi!
8. Hacking to the Gate
I LOVE Steins;Gate. This show was formative to my tastes in anime and an excellent sci-fi show, though it’s handling of its one trans character is more fraught than it ought to be. I’m sure given the space I could bring out more critiques but I’m here to gush and to express excitement to see how they handled the sequel in manga form.
So, for those unaware, “Steins;Gate” was originally a visual novel, part of a loosely connected series called the Science Adventures series, and that visual novel got a sequel where one of the fail states of the game is the “true” path and thus WWIII comes to pass. We got a sequel anime that was alright that I never finished and so now we’re getting a manga adaptation of the sequel game. I’m hoping it will address some of the issues that plagued the anime by choosing a different adaptation plan. That’s one of the fun things about visual novels with multiple routes. Every adaptation is gonna be a little, or a lot, different.
Continued belowSteins;Gate 0, Vol. 1
Written by Nitroplus
Illustrated by Taka Himeno
Published by Udon Entertainment
November 2020, the Beta World Line… In this world, Rintaro Okabe has given up. After suffering through indescribable grief and untold heartbreak, he gives up on saving the girl he loves. But one day, he meets her again, just not as he knew her. From this chance encounter, the gears of fate would begin to turn once more. The heroes of Steins;Gate return for a new time-altering story set in an alternate world where the Future Gadget Lab members failed in their original mission. Can one final chance lead to a happy ending?
7. You Complete Me
I’m a sucker for a complete collection, I’ll admit it. I’m not sure if this series is great or not but the concept is fun – photography as a means to process grief and find love – and if it’s getting a re-release collection, it’s gotta be strong. Nogiri’s other work is “This Wolf Boy is Mine,” which I’m only aware of because of its title and status as one of Kodansha’s early digital-first manga. Regardless, more romance comics is always a net positive and more shojo on this list is a plus.
Love in Focus Complete Collection
Written and Illustrated by Yoko Nogiri
Published by Kodansha Comics
A teenage girl whose passion for photography leads her to a new school, a new dorm, and a new love triangle. This new edition contains all three volumes of the acclaimed romance manga, a complete shojo story in one book. Mako’s always had a passion for photography. When she loses someone dear to her, she clings to her art as a relic of the close relationship she once had. Luckily, her childhood best friend Kei encourages her to come to his high school and join their prestigious photo club. Contains volumes 1-3 of Love in Focus, the entire series!
6. Hell is Other People but Only if You Forget Your Fan
I…legit could not tell you what this series is. I have yet to read it. The blurb gives me nothing. The cover gives me nothing. The title is baffling. It shouldn’t be on this list. And yet, the cumulative effect of all those nothings is to produce a something. This feels like a super-chill, slice-of-life series set at a festival, or a set of festivals, and somehow, that sounds really nice to read about right now.
Days on Fes, Vol. 3
Written and Illustrated by Kanato Oka
Published by Yen Press
At the invitation of their classmate, Kanade and Otoha get to experience their first circuit festival! With the indoor venues close together and the sound right in their face, it’s packed full of thrills unheard of at an outdoor festival!
5. Ten Volumes Strong
Inio Asano is one of those creators that you either love or hate. It’s often raw and gross and difficult to read, even as it is effortlessly crafting a story that’s less about the surreal circumstances around the character than about the characters themselves. He’s mostly known for short works, like “Downfall” and “Solanin,” but his last long-form comic “Goodnight Punpun” is widely considered to be a modern classic. I’ve got conflicting feelings about that series, a lot of it centering around how unrelentingly depressing and mean it is, but I can’t argue it isn’t an important work.
“Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction” is if you took “20th Century Boys” and crossed it with “Punpun.” It’s far more surreal and messy than the former and more upbeat and optimistic than the latter, though maybe not as much as it could be. Will it be for you? Maybe. Is it for me? Kinda. Regardless, though, ten volumes is nothing to sneeze at, especially from a creator as unique as Asano.
Continued belowDead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction, Vol. 10
Written and Illustrated by Inio Asano
Published by Viz, LLC
Huge chunks of the mothership are starting to crash into Tokyo, leveling whole neighborhoods. The Japanese government is ready to nope out of the impending destruction and the Americans are using the growing panic as an excuse to make their move. What’s worse, the internet is down! With just days left before the end of humanity, at least the Occult Club is having a pretty good vacation at the beach.
4. What is a Demi-Human? A Miserable Trilogy of CGI Films.
If you only know “Ajin” from the movies that dropped on Netflix years ago, you probably think you won’t like the manga. Or maybe you do and I’m being needlessly prescriptive. Regardless, I’m here to make the case for “Ajin,” the manga. The concept is that there are people out there who cannot die among other powers. They only find out, however, when they first die. This is the final volume of the manga, making it a decently long but still manageable read.
You know I love a good high-concept sci-fi series and this one does that exquisitely. The art is sharp, with high contrast against the mostly sparse backgrounds, and the action is tense throughout. The story morphs from a simple chase to something more as we go on but it retains what makes it interesting throughout. If you’re looking for something new to read, give “Ajin” a go. It deserves more love than I see it get.
Ajin: Demi-Human, Vol. 17
Written and Illustrated by Gamon Sakurai
Published by Vertical Comics
High school student Kei Nagai is killed in a traffic accident, but immediately revives to learn that he may not be human at all. Instead, he may be a Demi-Human, a mysterious almost immortal being blessed with amazing super-human abilities. Scared, he runs away, and is aided in his escape from society by his friend Kai. Unfortunately for Kei, the manhunt is on and he will soon be caught within a conflict between mankind and other Demi-Humans as they prepare to fight for global supremacy.
3. Generational Harmony
This series just seems so wholesome and I’ve wanted to highlight it a couple times already but never quite got the chance. The art looks soft and welcoming and you don’t see many older protagonists in manga. When you do, it’s usually not in this kind of context, and I like that about “BL Metamorphosis.” It seems like a chill but heartwarming friendship story about two unlikely friends, separated by five+ decades, and joined by a love of BL manga.
BL Metamorphosis, Vol. 5
Written and Illustrated by Kaori Tsurutani
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
Ichinoi, a 75-year-old woman living a peaceful life, unwittingly buys a Boy’s Love manga one day… and is fascinated by what she finds inside. When she returns to the bookstore to buy the next volume, the high school girl working there – Urara, a seasoned BL fan – notices a budding fangirl when she sees one. When Urara offers to help Ichinoi explore this whole new world of fiction, the two dive into BL fandom together, and form an unlikely friendship along the way.
2. IT RETURNS
“Yotsuba&” is one of, if not the, most checked-out manga for kids at my library. Hell, it may be in the top five of most checked out manga in general. The covers are torn and the pages yellowed from the amount of use they get. That’s how beloved this series, from the author of “Azumanga Daioh,” is. I couldn’t not put it on this list after seeing it AND after seeing that this was the first new volume in three years. Manga returning from long hiatuses are always cause to celebrate, hopefully along with the authors being in good health as well.
Yotsuba&, Vol. 15
Written and Illustrated by Kiyohiko Azuma
Published by Yen Press
After almost three years, Yotsuba is back. She’s not alone, though Juralumin the stuffed bear makes her triumphant return! What trouble will they get into this time?
1. You Knew This Was Coming
It wouldn’t be a Top 10 without a Rumiko Takahashi book and this month, I get to talk about her brand new series “MAO,” which looks to be less “Rin-Ne” and more “Inuyasha.” That statement might make people worry but even if it’s a weak Takahashi work, that’s heads and shoulders above the general field out there. I’m gonna give this a read as soon as I can and I hope you will too.
MAO, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi
Published by Viz, LLC
Exorcise your destiny in an era-spanning supernatural adventure from manga legend Rumiko Takahashi!Teenage Nanoka travels back in time to early 19th-century Japan and meets teenage exorcist Mao. What is the thread of fate that connects them? Together, they seek answers…and kick some demon butt along the way!
Nanoka passes through a portal into Taisho-era Japan, a world populated by phantom people, monstrous yokai and a surly young exorcist named Mao. When Nanoka returns to the present, she discovers she has some new, unusual abilities. So she goes back to the past looking for answers, only to get caught up in Mao’s investigation of a demon crime. As her questions about herself multiply, she learns that Mao is cursed by a cat demon called Byouki-and so is his sword. If anyone but Mao attempts to wield it, they are doomed. But when Mao’s life is in jeopardy, Nanoka picks up his blade and swings…!
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Anything I missed? What are YOU looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!
