Welcome back, manga fans! In between last month and this, Brian Hibbs published his look at the 2020 NPD Bookscan numbers and despite Viz absolutely fucking DOMINATING the manga side of the market, I seem incapable of highlighting more than two or three books from them a month. This holds true this month, where I seem to have picked 6(!) books from Seven Seas. It would have been 7 had I chosen to talk about the Ghost Ship manga where the plot centers around the main character, *ahem*, ejaculating diamonds, but I thought I’d just make note of that BONKERS description here instead.
With that thought forcibly stuck in everyone’s head, let’s get rolling. Happy final week of August folks!
10.5. Box Sets Don’t Count
It’s not cheating because if it was, then this would be a top 20 since the “Nichijou” box set is ten volumes. Look y’all, I couldn’t NOT talk about how this was being released, seeing as I’ve gushed and gushed about Arawi before and it was the basis for an entire section in my latest longform about how broken The Way of the Househusband on Netflix was. If you haven’t read the original manga, please do. If you have, read it again! Disagree with me that this is a masterpiece? Well, all I have to say is:
Nichijou 15th Anniversary Box Set
Written and Illustrated by Keiichi Arawi
Published by Vertical Comics
First serialized in 2006, Keiichi Arawi’s nichijou went on to become a worldwide cultural phenomenon. This fall, we’ll celebrate the series with a 15th-anniversary box set with all ten of the original volumes in an extraordinary package! Join Mio, Yuuko, Mai and the rest of the cast of colorful characters of nichijou in this slice-of-surreal-life comedy series that explores every facet of their anything-but-ordinary lives…
10. The Great Jahy is a Part-Timer
“Jahy” just got a new anime and it seems that people are really enjoying it. It’s not really my kind of comedy but that doesn’t mean I can turn my nose up at something others love, especially when it’s comedy. It seems like a very relatable series too – I literally only know it by reputation. If you like this kind of reverse Isekai gag series, then “Jahy” seems worth checking out.
The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated, Vol. 2
Written and Illustrated by Wakame Konbu
Published by Square Enix Manga
The Great Jahy, (former) number two of the demon realm, has managed to restore a sliver of her magical power… but it seems her difficulties in the human world are far from over! Still, even when she gets questioned by the police, even when she has to survive on less than $5 until payday, the Great Jahy will not be perturbed! Get ready to cry tears of sympathy!
9. Secondario Uomo, First Body Double of the Stage
“Double” seems like it could either be very generic or something that will grab you and not let go. Shifting perspective from the uber-talented main character to a perspective character that would be, otherwise, a side character, is nothing new but in this case, the text is working with that by having Yuujin literally becoming a character who is central because of his proximity to, and support of, Takara. It’s a clever aspect that I think could be explored in a variety of interesting ways that also works outside the usual framework of a manga like this. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Continued belowDouble, Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Ayako Noda
Published by Tokyopop
Yuujin Kamoshima and Takara Takarada are fellow actors in the same theater troupe who live next door to one another, with similar day to day lives. Though they aren’t exactly close friends, when Yuujin is cast as Takara’s double, he sees first hand his extraordinary acting skills and is blown away. From that moment on, he’s determined to help him succeed and support him in his dream of becoming a world renowned actor, even if Yuujin has to be in his shadow. But as the acting world begins to take notice, that’s easier said than done.
8. Heartbreak and Strong Influences
When I first saw this cover, I thought we were getting the sequel to Kabi Nagata’s “My Alcoholic Escape from Reality.” It isn’t that but you can forgive me for thinking that. I’d put money that the cover designer did that on purpose OR Nagata was inspired by this one. I’m not sure which was first. As for the manga itself, I suspect it will be just as unflinching and raw a portrait of a life, though in this case one focused more on her family members rather than her own life. I mean, if it became a critically acclaimed film, it’s safe to say it’ll be something that stays long after you’re done.
A Life Turned Upside Down – My Dad is an Alcoholic
Written and Illustrated by Mariko Kikuchi
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
A moving autobiographical manga about her father’s alcoholism that inspired a critically acclaimed live-action film. Mariko Kikuchi tells the painful story of her father’s alcoholism and her own journey through guilt to understanding her father’s illness. She rejects the common belief that family members can and should be forgiven for anything they do, no matter how much harm they cause. This powerful, self-contained autobiographical manga began as a web series that went viral, and inspired a critically acclaimed 2019 film in Japan.
7. They were Classmates. *whispers* They were classmates
“Classmates” is a series with a weird publishing schedule, mostly because it’s actually a series of mini-series ala Dark Horse. The manga has come and gone over the course of the last 15 or so years, with 8 volumes in total, and we’re finally getting the fourth volume after a two year break. I’m a big fan of the complicated and messy relationships formed in “Classmates” and it seems like this volume is delving into a new one with one of the more messy characters: the teacher Hara Manabu. This takes place after the two protagonists of the first three volumes are no longer in the picture, which might make anything else a hard sell but instead just cements this series as something different.
Whether it’s good or not, we’ll just have to see.
Classmates, Vol. 4: Sora & Hara
Written and Illustrated by Asumiko Nakamura
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
Learn more about the teacher Hara Manabu, a gay man who feels somewhat adrift in the world. He spends his days teaching at an all-boys school, his nights out on the town. While at a gay bar, he meets a young man named Sorano and makes an instant connection. But things become complicated when he sees Sorano again… as a new student at school! Hara immediately shuts down the possibility of a relationship, although the situation is unearthing issues from Hara’s youth, when he himself had complicated sexual feelings in his teens… and the current emotional baggage that still lingers with his now-graduated student, Rihito.
6. NOT a Video Game-esque Isekai
That’s right! Despite its title, “Restart After Coming Back Home” is a more somber tale that seems to be about the difficulties of making new connections in adulthood and the shame the character feels upon returning home after losing everything in his adult life. It’s a coming of age tale of our time, one we’re seeing more and more variations on, and this take looks to be one that will end, if not happily, hopefully with bittersweet tears.
Restart After Coming Back Home
Written and Illustrated by Cocomi
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
Hot-headed Kozuka Mitsuomi left his home in the country to try to lead a sophisticated life in Tokyo. Unfortunately, at age 25, he returns home in disgrace, having been fired from his job. As he tries to rediscover himself in the rural area he once called home, he meets Kumai Yamato, a man about his age who was adopted into his community while Mitsuomi was away. The sweet and even-tempered Yamato is hiding his own pain, and as the two men connect, they start a journey together.
5. The Fits Are Back Baybeeee
Since highlighting the first volume, I’ve read “Boys Run the Riot” and I am HOOKED. There is a lot of process talk about making fashion lines, producing T-shirts as a random independent crew, and about gender identity and relations which makes it engaging, informative – I had no idea how screen printing worked before this – and important. The whole team behind the localization is trans too, which is extra rad! Oh, and if you’re coming for the fashion? Gaku’s designs and aesthetic are worth the price of admission alone. Nothing super ornate like Kamome Shirahama, or wildly out there like Hirohiko Araki, but instead modern and like something you’d actually see on the street.
Continued belowBoys Run the Riot, Vol. 4
Written and Illustrated by Keito Gaku
Published by Kodansha Comics
High schooler Ryo knows he’s transgender. But he doesn’t have anyone to confide in about the confusion he feels. He can’t tell his best friend, who he’s secretly got a crush on, and he can’t tell his mom, who’s constantly asking why Ryo is always “dressing like a boy.” One day, while out shopping, Ryo sees an unexpected sight: Jin. The kid who looked so tough in class is shopping for the same clothes that Ryo loves. And Jin offers Ryo a proposal: to start their own brand and create apparel to help everyone feel comfortable in their skin. At last, Ryo has someone he can open up to-and the journey ahead might finally give him a way to express himself to everyone else.
4. Better Get This Before Fujiko Steals It
Back in 2019, I wrote the end of year obituary for Monkey Punch, where I commented on how the manga of “Lupin III” was no longer in print. Well, thanks to Seven Seas, we’re getting this special collection that was published in honor of his passing. This is a huge deal because manga from before the 80s is a rarity in the United States. I think I can count on one hand the number of creators whose works have made their way over, and most are either incomplete – like the Mizuki’s Kitaro volumes – or are short works and short story collections. Exceptions include things like Go Nagai’s “Devilman” & “Cutie Honey” and the various works of Leiji Matsumoto.
Now, this isn’t a true blue republication of the original series but I really hope this paves the way for us to get that. Until then, put on your best jacket, grab your thieving tools, and be careful of women named Fujiko Mine. She just might steal your breath…and the clothes off your back for good measure.
Lupin the Third: The Greatest Heists Classic Manga
Written and Illustrated by Monkey Punch
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
A hardcover compilation of some of the finest Lupin III manga ever published. Master thief Arsène Lupin III, the charming grandson of Arsène Lupin, has been stealing treasures and hearts since Monkey Punch’s original manga series in the 1960s. The capers and adventures of Lupin III-along with his trusted sidekicks and hot-in-pursuit rivals-have turned him into one of the most beloved manga characters of all time. This special collection of Monkey Punch’s original manga, published in Japan as a tribute to his legacy after his passing in 2019, includes some of the greatest Lupin III manga tales pulled from years of this influential work. Seven Seas will be releasing this one-of-a-kind tome as a beautiful large-trim hardcover for Lupin III’s English-speaking fans.
3. The Forest is Dark and Scary but Home is Warm and Bright
Nagabe’s “Girl from the Other Side” is a dark fairy tale, told through drawings that look like they were etched with charcoal and soot. It’s a truly unique manga, even if the story can be a little thin at times thanks to the dreamlike, fairy-tale atmosphere Nagabe creates. This marks the final volume of that tale so I couldn’t miss my opportunity to highlight it.
Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, Vol. 11
Written and Illustrated by Nagabe
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
In a land far away, there were two kingdoms: the Outside, where twisted beasts roamed that could curse with a touch, and the Inside, where humans lived in safety and peace. The girl and the beast should never have met, but when they do, a quiet fairytale begins. This is a story of two people – one human, one inhuman – who linger in the hazy twilight that separates night from day.
2. I’m a Sucker for Sci-Fi. So Sue Me
I love me a weird sci-fi project. I love weird sci-fi manga even more, though if you get too heady you might lose me – looking at you Mamoru Oshii. I suspect this series, which won the JMAF Manga Division Grand Prize in 2020 – a prize which has previously gone to one of my all-time favorite manga “Saturn Apartments,” as well as works by Akiko Higashimura (“Blank Canvas,”) Hirohiko Araki (“Jojo Part 8: JoJolion,”) Makoto Yukimura (“Vinland Saga,”) Boichi of “Dr. Stone” (“Origin,”) and most recently, Chica Umino (“March Comes in Like a Lion”) – is going to be the kind of sci-fi project I fall in love with. It’s one volume too – an omnibus, but whatever – so that’s an instant recommendation from me.
Continued belowRobo Sapiens: Tales of Tomorrow
Written and Illustrated by Toranosuke Shimada
Published by Seven Seas Entertainment
In the future, robots are more than machines. Autonomous “cyber-persons” with A.I. brains are part of society, interacting with humans and growing their own culture. In fact, they may be surpassing humans, as biological homo sapiens and their own world have begun to die out. But are humans truly disappearing, or are robots the new “humans”? This speculative fiction tale of interconnected stories was awarded the Manga Division Grand Prize at the 2020 Japan Media Arts Festival. Get the complete manga series in English in this special omnibus edition.
1. Horny Zootopia: The Manga
I have a confession to make: I have never read a single volume of “Beastars.” I know. I know. Why am I putting the 15th volume of a series I’ve never read at #1? Well because I know it’s great because I’ve been choosing to watch the excellent, EXCELLENT 3d CGI anime first and I wanna read the whole thing once it’s over. Will I crack beforehand? Perhaps but until then, I want to give both my unabashed recs for the storytelling risks it takes, for the compelling drama, and for committing to being just so fucking horny it’s not even funny.
This series has it all, and has come a long way since the volume Nick highlighted in 2019. Hell, volume 15 is well beyond what they’ve covered from what I can tell and it’s gone from hardboiled noir/school drama to a rom-com so you never know what you’re going to get. It’s also by Paru Itagaki, whose art is something to behold, and who is the daughter of Keisuke Itagaki, the creator of another series that’s gotten a Netflix adaptation: “Grappler Baki.” If you haven’t heard of this series, let this be the start of your journey into the seedy yet often tender underbelly of “Beastars.”
Beastars, Vol. 15
Written and Illustrated by Paru Itagaki
Published by Viz, LLC
Guess who’s coming to dinner? Every rabbit parent wants their daughter to date a wolf, right? Meanwhile, Beastar horse Yahya hires gray wolf Legoshi to help him apprehend a mixed-species felon, but Legoshi is a sucker for a sob story. At college, red deer Louis’s status has fallen from the most popular student at school to the different one with the dark past. The temptation to reclaim his status as leader of the Shishi-gumi lion gang is strong…especially when he meets the beast who replaced him. Plus, more of the tragic life of Legoshi’s mother.For older teen audiences.
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Anything I missed? What are YOU looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!
