Manga Update: 2012

1. '2 (3) : Sailor Moon 1 ' Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [402.7] ::
2. '0 (2) : Sailor Moon 4 ' Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [401.0] ::
3. '1 (4) : Sailor Moon 2 ' Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [385.7] ::
4. '1 (5) : Naruto 57 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [381.9] ::
5. '1 (6) : Vampire Knight 14 ' Viz Shojo Beat, Jul 2012 [348.8] ::
6. '2 (8) : Sailor Moon 6 ' Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [330.5] ::
7. '6 (13) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder ' DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [326.8] ::
8. '-7 (1) : Sailor Moon 3 ' Kodansha Comics, Jan 2012 [324.0] ::
9. '-2 (7) : Rosario+Vampire Season II 9 ' Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jul 2012 [316.8] ::
10. '-1 (9) : Negima! 35 ' Kodansha Comics, Jul 2012 [314.8] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of volumes ranking in the Top 500:

Viz Shonen Jump 93
Yen Press 92
Viz Shojo Beat 62
Kodansha Comics 48
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 38
DMP Juné 26
Dark Horse 17
Seven Seas 17
Vertical 13
Viz Signature 12

[more]

Series/Property

1. '0 (1) : Sailor Moon ' Kodansha Comics [1,096.9] ::
2. '0 (2) : Naruto ' Viz Shonen Jump [820.4] ::
3. '1 (4) : Highschool of the Dead ' Yen Press [566.0] ::
4. '-1 (3) : Bleach ' Viz Shonen Jump [559.2] ::
5. '1 (6) : Negima! ' Del Rey/Kodansha Comics [523.2] ::
6. '-1 (5) : Rosario+Vampire ' Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [505.5] ::
7. '1 (8) : Vampire Knight ' Viz Shojo Beat [505.0] ::
8. '-1 (7) : Alice in the Country of Clover ' Seven Seas [484.7] ::
9. '2 (11) : Ouran High School Host Club ' Viz Shojo Beat [463.9] ::
10. '0 (10) : Fairy Tail ' Del Rey/Kodansha Comics [449.2] ::

[more]

New Releases
(Titles releasing/released This Month & Last)

4. '1 (5) : Naruto 57 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [381.9] ::
5. '1 (6) : Vampire Knight 14 ' Viz Shojo Beat, Jul 2012 [348.8] ::
7. '6 (13) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder ' DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [326.8] ::
9. '-2 (7) : Rosario+Vampire Season II 9 ' Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jul 2012 [316.8] ::
10. '-1 (9) : Negima! 35 ' Kodansha Comics, Jul 2012 [314.8] ::
14. '-4 (10) : Fairy Tail 20 ' Kodansha Comics, Jul 2012 [284.1] ::
18. '148 (166) : Yu-Gi-Oh! GX 9 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Aug 2012 [266.8] ::
20. '1 (21) : Highschool of the Dead 7 ' Yen Press, Jul 2012 [262.9] ::
26. '-9 (17) : Alice in the Country of Clover Cheshire Cat Waltz 1 ' Seven Seas, Jul 2012 [236.0] ::
27. '2 (29) : D. Gray-Man 22 ' Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jul 2012 [234.6] ::

[more]

Preorders

13. '-1 (12) : Sailor Moon 9 ' Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [289.0] ::
16. '0 (16) : Sailor Moon 7 ' Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [279.0] ::
19. '4 (23) : Sailor Moon 8 ' Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [263.3] ::
28. '6 (34) : Sailor Moon 10 ' Kodansha Comics, Mar 2013 [234.0] ::
39. '4 (43) : Avatar: The Last Airbender The Promise 3 ' Dark Horse, Oct 2012 [187.0] ::
55. '4 (59) : Yotsuba&! 11 ' Yen Press, Sep 2012 [145.1] ::
72. '1 (73) : Negima! 36 ' Kodansha Comics, Oct 2012 [122.4] ::
84. '-1 (83) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 ' DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [110.5] ::
89. '15 (104) : Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 2 vol hardcover box set [complete] ' Viz Ghibli Library, Nov 2012 [105.3] ::
92. '-7 (85) : Ai no Kusabi (novel) 7 ' DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [103.6] ::

[more]

Manhwa

428. '74 (502) : Time & Again 6 ' Yen Press, Jul 2011 [26.2] ::
433. '74 (507) : Time & Again 3 ' Yen Press, Jul 2010 [26.0] ::
489. '189 (678) : Time & Again 1 ' Yen Press, Dec 2009 [22.0] ::
578. '-17 (561) : Time & Again 2 ' Yen Press, Mar 2010 [17.5] ::
588. '-179 (409) : Bride of the Water God 11 ' Dark Horse, May 2012 [17.0] ::
589. '-95 (494) : Bride of the Water God 10 ' Dark Horse, Jan 2012 [17.0] ::
760. '-60 (700) : Time & Again 5 ' Yen Press, Mar 2011 [9.9] ::
865. '119 (984) : One Thousand & One Nights 7 ' Yen Press, Apr 2009 [6.9] ::
947. '-42 (905) : Let Dai 11 ' Netcomics, Feb 2008 [5.5] ::
1012. '207 (1219) : One Thousand & One Nights 11 ' Yen Press, Aug 2010 [4.3] ::

[more]

BL/Yaoi

7. '6 (13) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder ' DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [326.8] ::
59. '-4 (55) : Samejima-Kun & Sasahara-Kun ' DMP Juné, May 2012 [141.6] ::
84. '-1 (83) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 ' DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [110.5] ::
85. '-17 (68) : In These Words ' 801 Media, Jun 2012 [110.2] ::
92. '-7 (85) : Ai no Kusabi (novel) 7 ' DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [103.6] ::
154. '-53 (101) : Private Teacher 3 ' DMP Juné, May 2012 [74.8] ::
162. '30 (192) : Awkward Silence 1 ' DMP Juné, Aug 2010 [70.0] ::
180. '-89 (91) : The Tyrant Falls in Love 6 ' DMP Juné, May 2012 [65.8] ::
203. '32 (235) : Hybrid Child ' DMP Juné, Aug 2006 [59.5] ::
212. '32 (244) : His Arrogance ' 801 Media, Dec 2008 [57.3] ::

[more]

Ebooks

4. '1 (5) : Naruto 57 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [381.9] ::
25. '0 (25) : Naruto 56 ' Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [243.0] ::
37. '2 (39) : Maximum Ride 5 ' Yen Press, Dec 2011 [196.7] ::
41. '1 (42) : Naruto 55 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [186.3] ::
51. '6 (57) : Blue Exorcist 1 ' Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Apr 2011 [156.1] ::
58. '-5 (53) : Naruto 54 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [142.9] ::
68. '-4 (64) : Maximum Ride 3 ' Yen Press, Aug 2010 [125.3] ::
73. '-3 (70) : Naruto 53 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [119.9] ::
90. '58 (148) : Blue Exorcist 2 ' Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Jun 2011 [104.5] ::
99. '19 (118) : Blue Exorcist 6 ' Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Feb 2012 [99.7] ::

[more]

Bishonen and ANTI-BISHONEN

Sean Gaffney looks over next week's bumper crop of new manga.

Also, ANN has the list of new additions to JManga for the next week or so, including some more one-volume romance manga.

Jason Thompson calls Path of the Assassin 'the anti-bishonen manga.' Actually, he calls it 'THE ANTI-BISHONEN MANGA.' Find out why in his latest House of 1000 Manga column at ANN.

Molly McIsaac counts down the top ten gay manga at iFanboy. Whatever you may think of her list, it seems odd that so many people bothered to comment that they don't like manga. Guys, that's so 2004!

At Blog of the North Star, Milo is really enjoying Toriko, all the more so because he's getting it for $3.99 a volume during Viz's digital sale.

Reviews

Laura on Alice in the Country of Hearts (Heart of Manga)
Anna on vol. 5 of Dawn of the Arcana (Manga Report)
AstroNerdBoy on vol. 3 of Love Hina (omnibus edition)
TSOTE on Noble Farmer (Three Steps Over Japan)
Lexie on vol. 1 of Polterguys (Poisoned Rationality)
Kristin on vol. 3 of Wandering Son (Comic Attack)

Otakon in the rear view mirror

Lissa Pattillo gives her take on this week's new manga in her latest On the Shelf column at Otaku USA.

At The Hooded Utilitarian, subdee has a thoughtful analysis of Rohan at the Louvre (part 1, part 2). Also at HU: Melinda Beasi on the Bechdel Test and Nana.

The Otakon reports are rolling in. At the Journal of the Lincoln Heights Literary Society, I-hsiu Lin reports on the Viz Media panel, the Kodansha Comics panel, and the con as a whole. Vicky Kariolic checks in with Graphic Novel Reporter. The Ninja Consultants, meanwhile, put their reflections in a podcast, and Linda sums up all the manga panels, including the translation one, in a single post at Anime Diet.

Three Steps Over Japan checks out another manga magazine, Weekly Manga Sunday.

Reviews

Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 6 of Ai Ore! (The Comic Book Bin)
Kristin on vols. 9 and 10 of Black Butler (Comic Attack)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 1 of Oreimo (Blogcritics)
Michael Buntag on vol. 3 of Sailor Moon (NonSensical Words)
TSOTE on Sengoku Youko (Three Steps Over Japan)
Ash Brown on vol. 3 of Wandering Son (Experiments in Manga)

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Manga the Week of 8/15

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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, Vol. 4

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Last week at Manga Bookshelf, 7/29-8/04

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Summer reading

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Saturday, August 4, 2012

Manga, And The Olympic Inspiration

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Friday, August 3, 2012

Bringing the Drama: Big

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Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 22 July

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Thursday, August 2, 2012

Comic Conversion: Cirque Du Freak

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Young King Ours, A Slightly Eccentric Manga Magazine

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PR: VIZ Holding End-of-Summer Sale on Digital Manga

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Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Dawn of the Arcana, Vols. 3-5

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Happy Yaoi Day!

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Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Combat Commentary: One Piece (Overview)

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Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 8 July

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It Came From the Sinosphere: The Fox Volant of Snow Mountain

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Monday, July 30, 2012

CLAMP MMF Links: Final Roundup!

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Bookshelf Briefs 7/30/12

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Pick of the Week: Sakuran & X

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Sunday, July 29, 2012

CLAMP MMF Links: Day 6

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Open Thread: Who's Your Favorite Female Shonen Artist?

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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Some Thoughts on CLAMP

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CLAMP MMF Links: Day 5

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Let's Get Visual: A Tale of Two Series

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Friday, July 27, 2012

The Best Manga You're Not Reading: Suki

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Shoujo I'm Scared Of: X, Vol. 1

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News from JManga, new manga on the shelves

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Wednesday, July 25, 2012

CLAMP MMF Links: Day 2

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Off the Shelf: Tokyo Babylon

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Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 24 June

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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Why you should read Cardcaptor Sakura

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Viz speaks!

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CLAMP MMF Links: Day 1

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Monday, July 23, 2012

Pick of the Week: CLAMP Edition

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CLAMP MMF: Introduction & CLAMP Directory

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San Diego recap and some things to look forward to

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Saturday, July 21, 2012

Wonder!, Vol. 2

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Friday, July 20, 2012

Negima! Magister Negi Magi, Vol. 35

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Polterguys, Vol. 1

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Thursday, July 19, 2012

Manga the Week of 7/25

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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

One Piece, Vol. 63

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Quick Wednesday manga links

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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Combat Commentary: Naruto (The Entire Series)

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It Came From the Sinosphere: Creative Comics Collection

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Last week at Manga Bookshelf

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Monday, July 16, 2012

Bookshelf Briefs 7/16/12

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Pick of the Week: Nagato, Sakuran, 13th Boy final!

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Monday morning manga links

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Sunday, July 15, 2012

Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 10 June

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Off the Shelf: Communicable Crankiness

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Friday, July 13, 2012

Sakuran

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These aren't the Androids you're looking for'

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PR: VIZ Expands Digital Manga Offerings to Android Smart Phones

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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Do you know the way to San Diego?

If you're headed to San Diego Comic-Con this week, make MTV Geek your first stop. I've compiled a list of all the major manga events, as well as a list of the manga publishers that will be exhibiting on the show floor. Planning to attend on Saturday? Be sure to check out The Best and Worst Manga of 2012 session, in which an all-star panel of manga pundits will discuss the year's most memorable titles.

Tokyopop has been asking fans, via Twitter, if they would like to see more OEL manga. Sean Kleefeld has some thoughts on that, and on what might have been.

David Brothers looks at a particularly good example of Kiyohiko Azuma's use of body language in Yotsuba&!.

At 2Chan, Shii translates a discussion of changes to an end-note from Osamu Tezuka's early manga Magic House.

Reviews: Ash Brown takes us through a week of manga at Experiments in Manga.

Dave Ferraro on 5 Centimeters Per Second (Comics-and-More)
Kristin on 5 Centimeters Per Second (Comic Attack)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 5 of Bleach (The Comic Book Bin)
Kate Dacey on vol. 2 of The Flowers of Evil (The Manga Critic)
Rob McMonigal on issue 5 of GEN (Panel Patter)
Johanna Draper Carlson on The Manga Guide to Linear Algebra (Comics Worth Reading)
Michael Buntag on vol. 2 of Sailor Moon (NonSensical Words)
Erica Friedman on vol. 18 of Tsubomi (Okazu)

The Flowers of Evil, Vol. 2

Do you remember the first time you tried to impress someone on a date? I do: I was fifteen, and thrilled that an older boy had invited me to dinner. (He drove a Mazda two-seater and quoted lines from Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire, which, in 1988, made him a god.) My strategy for wooing him was to describe, in excruciating detail, the nuances of Igor Stravinsky's Petrushka, from the opening tableau to the final notes. I was convinced that if he could see my passion for something as dark and powerful as that ballet, he'd understand who I really was, and fall in love with that person. (Needless to say, we didn't go on a second date.)

Kasuga, the earnest hero of The Flowers of Evil, finds himself in a similar situation at the beginning of volume two: Saeki, the classmate whom he's loved from afar, has finally consented to go on a date with him. As they wander the aisles of his favorite bookstore, Kasuga confesses to Saeki that Baudelaire's Fleurs du Mal 'changed how I see the world. I felt as though I'd been an ignorant fool my whole life.' It's a cringe-inducing moment ' not because Saeki mocks Kasuga, or recoils from him, but because Kasuga has exposed himself in such a clumsy, sincere, and godawful manner.

That sincerity is nearly his undoing. Throughout the volume, Nakamura goads Kasuga about Saeki, reacting with fury when Kasuga asks Saeki to enter into a 'pure, platonic relationship' with him: how dare he pretend to be normal? Nakamura then redoubles her efforts to reveal Kasuga's 'perversion,' currying favor with Saeki while pouring poison in Kasuga's ear. But to what end? The final scene of the manga offers some interesting, and surprising, hints at Nakamura's true agenda while suggesting that Kasuga might, in fact, have more in common with her than he'd care to admit. I won't reveal what happens, but will venture to say that 'orgiastic' is an apt description of those last glorious, frenzied pages.

Review copy provided by Vertical, Inc.

THE FLOWERS OF EVIL, VOL. 2 | BY SHUZO OSHIMI | VERTICAL, INC. | 168 pp.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 3 June

Comparative Rankings Based on Consolidated Online Sales

last week's charts
about the charts

Manga Bestsellers

1. '0 (1) : Sailor Moon 5 ' Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [447.2] ::
2. '0 (2) : Sailor Moon 1 ' Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [411.8] ::
3. '2 (5) : Sailor Moon 3 ' Kodansha Comics, Jan 2012 [402.0] ::
4. '-1 (3) : Sailor Moon 4 ' Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [391.0] ::
5. '-1 (4) : Naruto 56 ' Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [386.5] ::
6. '0 (6) : Sailor Moon 2 ' Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [358.0] ::
7. '0 (7) : Maximum Ride 1 ' Yen Press, Jan 2009 [295.8] ::
8. '2 (10) : Sailor Moon 7 ' Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [291.5] ::
9. '3 (12) : Sailor Moon 8 ' Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [286.5] ::
10. '1 (11) : Sailor Moon 6 ' Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [283.0] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of volumes ranking in the Top 500:

Yen Press 82
Viz Shonen Jump 74
Tokyopop 59
Viz Shojo Beat 58
Kodansha Comics 39
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 32
Seven Seas 21
DMP Juné 18
Dark Horse 15
HC/Tokyopop 15

[more]

Series/Property

1. '0 (1) : Sailor Moon ' Kodansha Comics [1,132.7] ::
2. '0 (2) : Naruto ' Viz Shonen Jump [840.9] ::
3. '0 (3) : Black Butler ' Yen Press [611.2] ::
4. '0 (4) : Maximum Ride ' Yen Press [606.1] ::
5. '4 (9) : Bleach ' Viz Shonen Jump [551.9] ::
6. '0 (6) : Death Note ' Viz Shonen Jump Advanced [509.8] ::
7. '0 (7) : Negima! ' Del Rey/Kodansha Comics [429.1] ::
8. '0 (8) : Highschool of the Dead ' Yen Press [424.1] ::
9. '-4 (5) : Warriors ' HC/Tokyopop [422.4] ::
10. '0 (10) : Avatar: The Last Airbender ' [multiple publishers] [393.2] ::

[more]

New Releases
(Titles releasing/released This Month & Last)

5. '-1 (4) : Naruto 56 ' Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [386.5] ::
10. '1 (11) : Sailor Moon 6 ' Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [283.0] ::
17. '31 (48) : Bleach 40 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2012 [250.1] ::
19. '18 (37) : Soul Eater 9 ' Yen Press, May 2012 [246.4] ::
23. '58 (81) : Black Bird 14 ' Viz Shojo Beat, May 2012 [224.8] ::
26. '6 (32) : Pandora Hearts 10 ' Yen Press, May 2012 [215.6] ::
28. '10 (38) : Ouran High School Host Club 18 ' Viz Shojo Beat, Jun 2012 [207.7] ::
30. '81 (111) : Bleach 41 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Jun 2012 [198.7] ::
34. '18 (52) : Dance in the Vampire Bund 12 ' Seven Seas, Jun 2012 [182.1] ::
35. '14 (49) : Puella Magi Madoka Magica 1 ' Yen Press, May 2012 [178.6] ::

[more]

Preorders

8. '2 (10) : Sailor Moon 7 ' Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [291.5] ::
9. '3 (12) : Sailor Moon 8 ' Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [286.5] ::
11. '22 (33) : Sailor Moon 9 ' Kodansha Comics, Jan 2013 [261.9] ::
13. '-4 (9) : Black Butler 9 ' Yen Press, Jul 2012 [258.4] ::
29. '24 (53) : Naruto 57 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [199.1] ::
39. '1 (40) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder ' DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [177.6] ::
58. '-4 (54) : Negima! 35 ' Kodansha Comics, Jul 2012 [139.7] ::
62. '74 (136) : Naruto 58 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Sep 2012 [134.3] ::
64. '-2 (62) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 ' DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [126.4] ::
70. '25 (95) : Velvet Kiss 1 ' Project H, Jul 2012 [113.6] ::

[more]

Manhwa

231. '138 (369) : Bride of the Water God 11 ' Dark Horse, May 2012 [52.2] ::
310. '11 (321) : Ragnarok 1 ' Tokyopop, May 2002 [39.6] ::
530. '-58 (472) : Bride of the Water God 9 ' Dark Horse, Oct 2011 [21.5] ::
575. '189 (764) : JTF-3 Counter Ops ' RealinterfaceStudios.com, Mar 2011 [19.4] ::
687. '181 (868) : Jack Frost 1 ' Yen Press, May 2009 [14.4] ::
726. '148 (874) : Toxic (anthology) 1 ' Udon, Jul 2012 [13.0] ::
793. '-249 (544) : Priest Purgatory 1 ' Tokyopop, Aug 2010 [10.5] ::
801. '-121 (680) : Bride of the Water God 10 ' Dark Horse, Jan 2012 [10.3] ::
894. '179 (1073) : Angel Diary 1 ' Yen Press, Oct 2005 [8.0] ::
1113. '149 (1262) : Jack Frost 2 ' Yen Press, Nov 2009 [4.0] ::

[more]

BL/Yaoi

39. '1 (40) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder ' DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [177.6] ::
64. '-2 (62) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 ' DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [126.4] ::
78. '-2 (76) : Ai no Kusabi (novel) 7 ' DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [105.5] ::
108. '196 (304) : The Tyrant Falls in Love 6 ' DMP Juné, May 2012 [84.9] ::
126. '175 (301) : Love Mode 1 ' Tokyopop Blu, Nov 2005 [79.3] ::
127. '1833 (1960) : Gravitation vols 11-12 collection ' Tokyopop, Nov 2010 [79.0] ::
134. '23 (157) : Finder Series 5 Truth in the View Finder ' DMP Juné, Dec 2011 [77.0] ::
143. '227 (370) : In These Words ' 801 Media, Jun 2012 [73.5] ::
145. '152 (297) : Silver Diamond 8 ' Tokyopop, Dec 2010 [73.3] ::
151. '23 (174) : Private Teacher 3 ' DMP Juné, May 2012 [70.4] ::

[more]

Ebooks

5. '-1 (4) : Naruto 56 ' Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [386.5] ::
7. '0 (7) : Maximum Ride 1 ' Yen Press, Jan 2009 [295.8] ::
15. '-2 (13) : Naruto 55 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [253.8] ::
16. '0 (16) : Maximum Ride 5 ' Yen Press, Dec 2011 [250.6] ::
29. '24 (53) : Naruto 57 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [199.1] ::
33. '-8 (25) : Maximum Ride 2 ' Yen Press, Oct 2009 [190.2] ::
36. '-8 (28) : Maximum Ride 3 ' Yen Press, Aug 2010 [178.3] ::
43. '-12 (31) : Maximum Ride 4 ' Yen Press, Apr 2011 [175.8] ::
52. '6 (58) : Naruto 1 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2003 [148.2] ::
53. '13 (66) : Naruto 53 ' Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [148.1] ::

[more]

It Came From the Sinosphere: Cheerful Wind

pwyp11 It Came From the Sinosphere: Cheerful Wind

About the Title

This film has quite a few titles in English. Cheerful Wind is the title used by the IMDB, yet Play While You Play is the English title on my DVD. The Mandarin title is F'nger T'tà C'i (''''') which roughly means 'The Wind Tip-Tap Steps'.

Three People

I picked this film because it brings together three of the most important people in Taiwanese pop culture: Chiung Yao, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and Fong Fei-fei.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Not By Manga Alone: Supreme and other drawings

Chicks dig comics, Sean is the world's foremost Kliban expert, and Wonder Woman was originally named Suprema. But you knew all of that already, right? Welcome back to Not By Manga Alone!

This month Sean pushes onward and upward, in his quest to read all the Kliban ever'this month he checked Two Guys Fooling Around With The Moon And Other Drawings off his list. Megan meanwhile, goes meta with The Comic Book History of Comics and Chicks Dig Comics.

Pick of the Week: Summit of the Gods & more

KATE: I only have eyes for one book this week: the long-awaited third volume of Summit of the Gods. This manliest of manga focuses on two Japanese climbers' efforts to find out what happened to doomed explorer George Mallory, who disappeared during a 1924 attempt to reach the top of Mt. Everest. As one might expect of a series illustrated by Jiro Taniguchi, the artwork is superb; if you've ever wondered what it might be like to navigate a glacier or dangle from a rope above a yawning chasm, Taniguchi's drawings will transport you to the Himalayas with the same vertigo-inducing accuracy as an IMAX film.

MICHELLE: I, too, am happy to see volume three of Summit of the Gods appear at long last, but I'll throw a bit of love toward Alice in the Country of Clover: Chehsire Cat Waltz. Okay, true, the Bloody Twins Clover installment was nowhere near as good as the original Country of Hearts series, including as it did a variety of 'what-if' scenarios pairing Alice up with various guys from the video game, but it seems as if Cheshire Cat focuses on her relationship with one guy. Maybe I'm wrong and it'll disappoint again, but you can be sure I'll be checking it out.

SEAN: Yeah, I'll go with Cheshire Cat Waltz as well. It's still more 'romance' oriented than the first series, but does at least make the effort to show that Alice is in a strange land filled with dangerous psychopaths who change moods at the drop of a hat. I hope they go a bit further into her reasons for being there ' briefly hinted in the first manga's ending ' but in the meantime, I am content to see her wandering around with the hot guys as long as it keeps up the frisson of discomfort that makes it intriguing.

BRIGID: Summit of the Gods sounds pretty tasty, but it's 95 degrees and I'm in the last stages of San Diego prep frenzy, so I need something light and amusing. I thought the first volume of Animal Land was kind of strange but interesting in an oh-Japan kind of a way, so I'll swing for volume 5 this week. Since it springs from the fevered brain of the creator of Zatch Bell, I know I won't have to take it too seriously, and that's good enough for me.

MELINDA: Aside from Summit of the Gods, this week is pretty light for me, so as I'm weighing in last, I'll to head over to NETCOMICS and recommend their Totally BL bundle, available through the end of the month. While NETCOMICS' limited-time rental model is looking less and less attractive these days, next to other publishers' iPad apps and other ownership-based digital venues like JManga (even eManga offers a 'Keep' option for their titles), there are a number of Korean titles from NETCOMICS that I must continue to recommend, especially for BL fans. One of these is Hajin Yoo's Totally Captivated, included in the NETCOMICS bundle along with the super-addictive Let Dai. If you've never given Korean BL a chance, this is the time to do so.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?