So, now that I spent several months researching all the niggly bits of Vol. 10 (something I will never do again), I’m a couple of volumes behind. Not only that, but Zetsubou-sensei, much as I love it, doesn’t exactly allow me to talk about developing plot and characterizations. It’s a gag manga. What’s a reviewer to do?

Well, there are a few things I can talk about. For one, just because I’m not doing long lists of references doesn’t mean I can never mention them again. I noted in my review of Vol. 10 that ‘pregnant heroines’ were mentioned as one of the manga that Kumeta had on his list of things to do – in fact, he’d done every one of them except that. No, we shouldn’t expect Zetsubou-sensei to end this way. But it gets brought up again in Chapter 101, where it’s noted as one of the ‘three taboo’s o shonen manga’. (The other, tone on male nipples, is casually broken by Kumeta here for a gag.

The real gag is that, at the time that this chapter was running, another author in Shonen Magazine was breaking the first, far more major taboo. Sei Kouji was wrapping up his series Suzuka, a harem manga about two high school track-and-field stars and their tsundere love. As Joshua Weeks noted in the endnotes (talking about it for a different gag), it was quite ecchi. It also ended with Suzuka pregnant, and giving up her star carer to have the child. This was quite controversial at the time, both for the actual suggestion of teenage sex (though if sex is going to happen, it’ll be in Magazine, rather than Jump and Sunday), and because many felt this was an ‘unhappy ending’, with the couple giving up their dreams in order to raise the child.

(Suzuka ended here in North America 3 volumes away from the end, so I apologize if I spoiled you. I can’t see Kodansha finishing it up if they haven’t already.)

Then we have the chapters featuring Nozomu’s body double. While mostly amusing for the fact that none of the cast seem to be able to tell him from the real thing, including Matoi, it does lend itself to another long-term character change for the sake of better gags. In general, the cast of Zetsubou, in regards to being “in love” with him, falls into two types: a) Kiri, Matoi and Chiri, and b) all the rest. (Kafuka, as ever, is outside the box entirely.) When he needs a chaotic ending, he’ll go with the whole cast, but in general, you tend to think that, of the major cast members (sorry, Mayo), those are the three with actual feelings. Now we have Abiru added to that lineup here, and though it’ll be hit and miss for a while, she does continue to show major affection for him in future volumes. Given that the series is not about to have him hook up with any of his students, this is entirely done for fun, but it’s still worth noting.

This volume also has one of my favorite chapters in the series, which talks about “off-air battles”. It’s something that makes sense in both Japanese and English, so works well here. It gives Matoi a larger role (she’s finally becoming an actual productive cast member, as opposed to a simple visual gag) and highlights her jealous feud with Kiri. It shows off Nozomu’s stunning hypocrisy in regards to his “suicide attempts” (and yes, by the way, Chiri used the English phrase “techno-maestros” in Japanese as well). And it has a great metatextual end gag, offsetting Chiri’s increasingly bloody violence (witness her horrifying butchering of a corpse with a blunt knife a few chapters earlier) with the need to remind oneself that this is a comic for young boys. (Well, no it isn’t, but let Shonen Magazine have its delusions. Jump they aren’t.)

Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei is a series that benefits from multiple re-readings, and so I higly recommend that you go out and buy it. Also, for Kodansha-haters, they kept in Kiri’s “Don’t open it!” this time around, possibly as she’s simply zipping up the back of her dress.

Jason Thompson takes a look at the early sports manga Harlem Beat in his latest House of 1000 Manga column at ANN.

Melinda Beasi and Michelle Smith go shoujo—well, mostly—in their latest Off the Shelf column at Manga Bookshelf.

At Blog of the North Star, Milo posts an exuberant appreciation of the pro-drunkenness, anti-vegetarian, anti-Japan’s-allies manga Toriko.

At The Grand Line, Greg translates Takuya Kimura’s interview with One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda; Kimura, who has been voted the Sexiest Man in Japan, is an unabashed One Piece fan.

Kate Dacey continues her Show Us Your Stuff series with a peek at the manga collection of “Calvinist otaku” Aaron.

News from Japan: Ken Akamatsu is winding up his long-running (37 volumes so far) series Negima!, and he is taking a brief hiatus before completing the last three chapters. Tite Kubo’s Bleach is heading into its final story arc. MM! is coming to an end this month. And ANN has the latest Japanese comics rankings.

Reviews: The About Heroes team files some brief reviews of recent releases, most (but not all) from Kodansha.

Lissa Pattillo on vol. 6 of Cross Game (Kuriousity)
Jason Yadao on vols. 1-3 of Genkaku Picasso (Otaku Ohana)
Chris Beveridge on vol. 1 of GTO: 14 Days in Shonan (The Fandom Post)
Kristin on vol. 7 of Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee (Comic Attack)
Joseph Luster on vol. 11 of Twin Spica (Otaku USA)
Sean Gaffney on vol. 2 of Wandering Son (A Case Suitable for Treatment)
Matthew Warner on vol. 1 of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s (The Fandom Post)
TSOTE on Zombie Loan (Three Steps Over Japan)

In these five tantalizing and original tales, George plumbs the depths of human nature—and human weakness—as only she can. From the chilling tale of a marriage built on an appalling set of lies that only death can reveal, to the final, title story about a penniless schoolteacher whose ambition turns murderous, I, Richard is filled with page-turning drama, danger, and unmatched suspense.

Whether the setting is urban or suburban, affluent or middle class, no one is safe from menace. Thanks to Inspector Thomas Lynley, a squabbling group of Anglophiles discovers a killer in its midst. But little help is on hand when a picture-perfect town is shattered by an eccentric new resident’s horrifying pet project. And when a wealthy husband is haunted by suspicions about his much-younger wife, it becomes clear that a man’s imagination can be his own worst enemy…

Review:
Well. That was different! And not, I’m afraid, in a terribly good way. I’ve furnished ample avidence of my admiration for George’s mystery novels in the past (and intend to read more of them in future), but I wasn’t too enamored of these short stories, primarily because most are variations on the theme of “things go wrong for the unsympathetic protagonist.” And that is not my favorite theme upon which to dwell. But let us forge onward into specifics!

“Exposure” is a rewrite of an earlier story, “The Evidence Exposed.” It concerns a group of Americans taking a summer course in The History of British Architecture who have come to Abinger Manor, residence of Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley’s aunt, for a tour. The characters are the highlight of this one, and though the crime is rather silly and the culprit’s motive murky, I still rather liked some of the quick portraits painted of those enrolled in the class. Lynley doesn’t get much to do, though, and poor Helen is relegated to being charming without actually, if I recall rightly, having a line of dialogue.

“The Surprise of His Life” is, ironically, possessed of an utterly predictable conclusion. After a lengthy introduction, in which George reveals drawing inspiration from the alleged crimes of O. J. Simpson, we meet a wealthy businessman who has begun seeing a psychic. She warns him to expect an external shock, so he goes off into all these flights of fancy about his wife having an affair and hires a private investigator who takes pictures of her with another man and… it’s just so obvious what’s going to happen that waiting for it to actually occur is maddening.

“Good Fences Aren’t Always Enough” is a weird little tale about the residents of Napier Lane, who are striving to be designated as one of their town’s Perfect Places to Live, and the small, grey, Russian immigrant whose overgrown, rat-infested yard stands in their way. Willow McKenna, a former foster child now obsessed with the idea of a big family and cozy community, is a fairly likeable lead and this, at least, didn’t end like I thought it was going to. It was a lot more… ordinary, in the end.

“Remember I’ll Always Love You” is the second story to feature a couple’s life ruined by extreme suspicion. Charlie Lawton’s husband, Eric, has just died at the age of 42. As she seeks out his parents, Charlie begins to realize that Eric was keeping a lot of things from her. A lot of really, really major things that are so out-of-left-field that she’s left reeling. This story is sort of admirably constructed in terms of what you think you know that it turns out you didn’t really know, but it feels flat somehow.

Lastly we have the title story, “I, Richard,” which contained both the high points and low points of the collection for me. I intensely disliked Malcolm Cousins, the ambitious would-be historian who has been engaged in an affair with the wife of a friend with the express purpose of coming into possession of a prized artifact when that friend should finally succumb to a weak heart. Malcolm is a sleazy git who gets what he deserves, but George uses him as a mouthpiece for some exonerating theories in support of Richard III, and that part I liked. The challenge is, of course, writing a modern-day story concerned with Richard III and not having it be too much like Josephine Tey’s marvelous The Daughter of Time, and George succeeds in that regard, I suppose.

Ultimately, this isn’t essential reading for fans of the Lynley/Havers mystery series. Lynley appears briefly in a story, but does very little, and there’s absolutely no bearing on anything that happens in other books. I’m not sure if I’m glad I read it or not, but I know for sure that I’ll not be doing so again.

Welcome to Show Us Your Stuff, a column in which dedicated manga lovers share pictures of their collections and tell us about their favorite books. Today’s contributor is Aaron, a self-proclaimed “Calvinist otaku” who is a regular commenter here at Manga Bookshelf. Though Aaron and I have divergent taste — I’m not sure I’ll ever share his enthusiasm for Oh!Great — I appreciate his willingness to engage in constructive dialogue whenever we disagree about a book. Aaron is also an avid manga-blogger and fan-fic writer (see below for links), so go check out his sites! – Katherine Dacey

Hi, I’m Aaron! First off a little about myself: I was born and raised in West Michigan and currently live in Holland, MI, where I’m part of the working class. (I push carts at the North Holland Meijer.) In my spare time, I blog about anime, manga, and otaku stuff at my blog Manga Power and write mostly diabetes-inducing WAFF Fan Fiction at my fan fiction blog Experiments in Fan Fiction. I also study Aesthetics and Reformed Theology in my spare time. I jokingly say my heart is half Hana To Yumi and half Calvin’s Institutes — in other words, I’m just a typical twenty-six-year-old Calvinist otaku.

How long have you been collecting manga?

I have been collecting manga since 2007, but have been watching anime since middle school. I didn’t even know what a manga was until 2007!

What was the first manga you bought?

The first manga I ever bought was the Azumanga Daioh omnibus. I still own it and the edges are slightly curled from having read it so much.

My collection totals 249 titles (that’s if I count my omnibus as individual volumes, which I do.)

What is the rarest item in your collection?

My complete, three-volume set of CLAMP’s Suki: A Like Story. I payed $34.00 for volume three alone!

What is the weirdest item in your collection?

My copy of Snow Goddess Tales (a rare CLAMP hardcover I got for $2.99). Also the first volume of Neon Genesis Evangelion Angelic Days — it’s like Tokimeki Memorial with Eva characters! Editor’s note: Tokimeki Memorial is a popular dating simulation game manufactured by Konami.

When I started collecting manga, I read almost exclusively four-panel moe and shojo. Now I am a lot more omnivorous, reading everything from josei to Shonen Jump to pulpy senien manga like Color of Rage or Battle Vixens — in short, if it’s manga, I’ll read it. I even took a stab at reading yaoi.

Who are your favorite comic artists?

Chica Umino (Honey and Clover), Yu Aida (Gunslinger Girl) along with Arina Tanemura, Oh!Great, Kyayko Azuma, Seimu Yoshizaki (Kingyo Used Books) and CLAMP.

I am currently collecting Sailor Moon, Yotsuba&!, Gunslinger Girl, Blood Alone, Kingyo Used Books, Psyren, Love Hina, The Story of Saiunkoku, and X.

As far as good deals go, used manga can be both a bane and a blessing: you can get some great deals, but you can also have those bought out from under you. The best advice I can give is passionately love a few series instead of trying to buy a lot of stuff; focus on what you really want not what you might want.

As far as organization goes, keep every thing in sequential order and try to arrange your shelves by genre, publisher, or demographic, e.g. one shelf for battle manga, one for VIZ or (R.I.P.) Tokyopop, another for shojo or shonen. You can always subdivide genres, too, like smutty shojo romance or magical girl shojo, or make one shelf for series you’re currently collecting, and other shelves for complete series.

Show Us Your Stuff is a regular column in which readers share pictures of their manga collections and discuss their favorite series. If you’d like to see your manga library featured here, please send me an email.

MICHELLE: Howdy!

MELINDA: It’s been a while since we did a regular column. I’m not sure what to say.

MICHELLE: Yeah, I was looking back at those today. Our last two columns have seen us both talking about the same series, and fairly epic ones at that! Oh no! Will our regular column measure up?!

MELINDA: I guess we’ll just have to try it and see! So, what have you been reading this week?

MICHELLE: Some very enjoyable things! First up is the third volume of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, which came out a couple of weeks ago.

For those who were put off by some of the silliness in Codename: Sailor V or by Usagi’s crybaby ways earlier on in this series, volume three should quell any doubts you may possess that Takeuchi can really bring out the big dramatic guns. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere previously, the pacing of the manga is approaching breakneck speed, so here we are in volume three and the first arc is already drawing to a close. But first, this occurs, and actually I am going to frame it in such a way that it’s as Buffy-esque as possible, ‘cos that’s what I do:

Usagi’s boyfriend, Mamoru, suddenly starts acting like a different person. He’s cold and cruel and is now working with the enemy! “Is this man somebody else now?!” she wonders. “Do I have to defeat him?! Kill him?!” A terrible evil is about to be unleashed upon the world and the only way to seal it up is to defeat the man she loves! But she does it. There’s a sweet kiss, and then there’s a sword.

Some fairly significant similarities to the end of Buffy‘s second season, I think! Anyway, I don’t want to spoil too much of it, but it’s pretty great. The second arc launches very quickly with the introduction of Chibi-Usa, a young girl who literally falls from the sky and starts observing Usagi and those around her. I was pleasantly surprised by how sympathetic Chibi-Usa is in the manga. She comes across more as lonely and frightened than bratty, and certainly more intriguing than the gemstone-named band of siblings who are facing off against our heroes.

Also pleasantly surprising was the copy editing this time. Typos have been a major problem with this title, and I’m happy to say I didn’t see a single one here. So, kudos on that, Kodansha. However, my fangirl heart just about broke when I saw Jupiter’s attack, “Sparkling Wide Pressure,” interpreted as “Spark Ring Wide Pressure.” Ordinarily I wouldn’t comment on translation choices, but man. This one really hurt.

MELINDA: I have to say, I can’t wait to read this. Seriously. I have it on my shelf and I WANT TO READ IT NOW. And I don’t have any fangirl preconceptions, which I’m gathering might be a plus for this series.

MICHELLE: I’d say so. There are many things I love about the anime, but there are definitely areas in which the manga is superior. One is, of course, Takeuchi’s lovely artwork, which is very flexible in terms of depicting Usagi as someone goofy and as someone elegant and mature. She frequently looks graceful in the manga in a way that she does not in the anime.

Still, it makes me sad that first-time readers might’ve thought that was really Jupiter’s attack phrase. I’ll have to be vigilant about pointing out things like that for their benefit!

Anyways, what’ve you been reading this week?

MELINDA: My first selection for the evening is a very different brand of shoujo than Sailor Moon, though also quite enjoyable. I’m speaking of the first volume of Miyoshi Tomori’s A Devil and her Love Song, just recently released by Viz.

I know you’ve read it, Michelle, but for the uninitiated, our heroine is Maria Kawai, a transfer student recently expelled from an elite Catholic school. She’s a girl who has always had difficulty making (and keeping friends), mainly because of her inability to control her harsh (if truthful) tongue. Maria is unusually perceptive, but most of what she has to say is decidedly not what people want to hear, and she gets off on the wrong foot pretty much immediately at her new school. On some level, Maria wants to fit in, but she’s just not cut out for the spirited shoujo sunshine role, and she’s pretty well aware of it.

Thanks, perhaps, to her very good looks (and a lovely singing voice), she is sort of befriended by two boys in her class, happy-go-lucky Yusuke Kanda and surly Shin Meguro. The two boys are, on the surface, typical shoujo love interests, and it feels immediately obvious that Maria will end up with cranky guy with a heart of gold, but just as Maria does not quite fit any of the standard heroine molds, neither do these two, who each have their own ways of dealing with the pressures of classroom socialization. So who she’ll ultimately end up with (if she ends up with someone at all) is anyone’s guess.

Like another of my favorite recent shoujo series, We Were There, this volume succeeds in part by taking familiar shoujo stereotypes and making them into real people, and I appreciate that very much.

I was pretty enthralled with this debut volume, and I’m looking forward to seeing where things go. My one small fear is that all the other girls in school (who so far have only really bullied Maria) will continue to be vilified to the end. I really dislike girl-hating stories for girls. But the first volume is written with such a sure hand, I feel confident that we’re in for something better than that. It’s the kind of manga that (so far) is continuously surprising.

MICHELLE: You’ve hit upon so much of what I loved about the volume! I like the boys, but Maria herself is the most compelling at this point, as she clings to her faith that things eventually will work out, that they will someday understand her if she just keeps trying. It’s pretty moving, actually!

As for the other girls, a comment left on my review suggests you’ll be pleased with their development, saying, “all the peer enemies are eventually shown to be more than their stereotypes.”

MELINDA: That is very heartening to hear! Though, again, I had high hopes, given nuanced the main characters have been so far. I’m happy to hear that my faith isn’t misplaced!

So, what else do you have for us this week?

MICHELLE: Well, speaking of nuanced characters… I read volume two of Wandering Son by Shimura Takako, presented in a gorgeous hardcover edition by Fantagraphics.

This is the story of two transgendered children, Shuichi Nitori and Yoshino Takatsuki, and their struggles to express their true selves. Lately, Shuichi and Yoshino have been going out in public dressed as a girl and a boy, respectively, and have befriended an adult woman named Yuki. They also go on a class trip and decide to start an exchange diary.

Okay, plot-wise, that may not sound like much, but it’s what Takako does with it that’s so special. Where volume one largely focused on how the characters themselves perceive their differences from other kids, this volume shows some ways in which others perceive those differences. Some responses are negative, like Shuichi’s seatmate on the school trip, who accuses him of squealing like a girl and calls him a “faggot” before Shuichi actually musters the strength to tell him off.

Some responses are neutral, like when Shuichi’s sister Maho discovers his secret. She’s not horrified, but she’s puzzled. At least she’s making an honest effort to understand as best a junior-high girl can. And then some responses are overwhelmingly positive, like when Shuichi and Yoshino’s friend Chiba AWESOMELY channels Anne of Green Gables as a means to dealing with taunting. I really love her.

Because this gamut of reactions is presented, and because daily life continues to transpire, the characters’ struggles seem even more sincere and realistic. Knowing that the misunderstanding they face now will only get greater the older and more certain they become, we realize just how fabulously lucky they are to have each other, even if they have to be careful not to exclude their other friends.

My one complaint is that a volume seems to go by so quickly that I am soon left bereft, pining for the next one!

MELINDA: This is another volume staring at me from the shelf that I’m simply dying to read. I need to take a month’s vacation and just read, read, read! I loved the first volume, as you know, and I’m thrilled (if not remotely surprised) to hear that it continues on in an equally lovely fashion. I admit I’m made even more anxious to read it based on that Anne of Green Gables thing. OH, MY HEART.

MICHELLE: I knew that part would please you!

I do have to ding Fantagraphics for the wording of their “story so far” section, though, which contains the sentence “The two spend their days going on somewhat perverse dates.” Now, true, certain dictionary definitions of “perverse” might reasonably apply in this situation, like “disposed to go counter to what is ordinary,” but that word also comes with connotations like “wicked” and “sinful” that should best be avoided. Surely they could’ve found a suitable synonym! Grumble grumble.

MELINDA: I’ve been pretty unhappy with the language they’ve used while marketing this series, so that doesn’t surprise me, I guess, but it’s still regrettable.

MICHELLE: What’s your second topic of the evening?

MELINDA: My second read this week is the perfect example of everything Wandering Son is not. That would be Hisaya Nakajo’s Hana-Kimi, a shoujo staple now being re-released in omnibus format by Viz. It’s a popular series I’ve never read, so definitely I’m the target audience for a release like this.

Unfortunately, I’d say my reaction to it was pretty mixed. While Wandering Son tackles gender identity with tender realism, like most other manga I’ve read with themes revolving around gender-bending, Hana-Kimi plays it for laughs, making sure to keep all the confusion safely on the outside. This isn’t unexpected, by any means, but it suffers gravely in comparison to a more thoughtful work.

So, Mizuki is a teen athlete who so deeply admires a young Japanese high jump champion, Izumi Sano, that she leaves America (where she lives abroad with her family) to come back to Japan and enroll in the all-boys boarding school Sano attends. Of course she must disguise herself as a boy, and of course she ends up being Sano’s roommate, because what good would a gender-bending romp be without lots of shower and clothing snafus?

Things progress pretty much as you might expect, with many of the boys finding themselves attracted to Mizuki and and one in particular questioning his sexuality based on these feelings. Meanwhile, Sano doesn’t know what he wants, and Mizuki isn’t even quite clear on the fact that she’s got the hots for him, despite her obsessive behavior. The school doctor, Hokuto, is a breath of fresh air, genuinely funny in a wonderfully wry way. Otherwise, though, it’s all distressingly… standard, I guess would be the term.

Oh, Michelle. I think that twenty years ago, I might have eaten this series up with a spoon, but I admit I was finding all the misunderstandings and hijinks fairly wearying. On the upside, spunky Mizuki doesn’t too much time being a shy wallflower, and Sano figures out her secret pretty early on (unbeknownst to her), so there isn’t quite as much blushing and farce-like door-slamming as there might have been otherwise. Still, if I’m looking for cross-dressing silliness, I think I’d just rather watch You’re Beautiful.

MICHELLE: Sometimes you come up with some absolutely perfect turns of phrase. “Making sure to keep all the confusion safely on the outside” is an example, encapsulating everything Hana-Kimi is in a nutshell.

Where you are the target for this reissue, I am not, because I have actually read it all before. In fact, one of the first reviews I ever wrote was of a volume of Hana-Kimi. So believe me when I tell you… it kind of gets worse. Oh, there are certainly some terrific volumes near the end, but there’s a lot of filler before then, and then the end completely and utterly fizzles to the extent where, though I did finish it for the sake of completeness, once I’d done that I promptly sold it. “Not a keeper!” There are aspects I kind of miss—Sano sure is pretty, especially early on—but I just can’t forget how dissatisfied it left me.

All that said, I hasten to add that I applaud any slightly older shoujo title coming back into the market in a fresh way, and hope that Basara, Please Save My Earth, and Boys Over Flowers will find their way to new audiences in the near future.

MELINDA: Sano is pretty, indeed, though I find I keep mentally comparing him to another depressed, recovering athlete, Eiji Okamura (Banana Fish), and you realize of course he has no chance with me in that comparison.

So, do you think we’ve lived up to the glory of our last two columns? We did discuss some pretty wonderful series tonight!

MICHELLE: I think we did! And it was pretty shoujo-licious, as well, which is a nice change of pace.

MELINDA: Agreed! Well… I guess this is goodnight!

MICHELLE: Until next week!

Readers wishing to know more about SuBLime are encouraged to check out this comment thread, where editor Jennifer LeBlanc has been patiently fielding questions from fans. More details below.

PR: GLOBAL YAOI MANGA PUBLISHER SuBLime KICKS OFF 2012 WITH TANTALIZING DIGITAL OFFERINGS

Bold New Publisher Releases Acclaimed Boys’ Love Manga LOVE PISTOLS, OKU-SAN’S DAILY FANTASIES, THE BED OF MY DEAR KING, and HUSBAND, HONEYMOON

San Francisco, CA, February 1, 2012 – SuBLime, the global yaoi manga (graphic novel) publishing initiative between VIZ Media and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate) and Libre Publishing Co., Ltd. (Libre Publishing), opens 2012 with a variety of notable new releases. Today, the company launches LOVE PISTOLS Vol. 1 by Tarako Kotobuki, HUSBAND, HONEYMOON Vol. 1 by Haruka Minami, OKU-SAN’S DAILY FANTASIES by Noboru Takatsuki, and THE BED OF MY DEAR KING by Sakae Kusama.

The new titles are rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers and carry an MSRP of USD $5.99 each. The $5.99 purchase price offers fans digital access to two versions of each manga volume on www.SuBLimeManga.com – a downloadable PDF that is viewable on any enabled eReader device and computer, and via the online manga viewer found on the web site.

“Yaoi fans will not to want to miss this collection of exciting releases available now from SuBLime,” says Jennifer LeBlanc, Editor, SuBLime. “Haruka Minami and Tarako Kotobuki are two of the most acclaimed creators within the genre. We invite fans to visit the SuBLime web site to take advantage of the speed and ease of digital download, and to further explore these titles.”

LOVE PISTOLS by Tarako Kotobuki · Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers · MSRP: $5.99 USD · Available Now!

Norio Tsuburaya is just your average, regular high school student—until the day when he drives his scooter into a garden wall and wakes up with the ability to see zoomans! His eyes aren’t the only things affected—his pheromones are working overtime, and all the hot beast breeds at school are looking to mate… with HIM! Just when he thinks things can’t get any worse, his heavyweight schoolmate, Kunimasa, “marks” Norio as his! What’s an in-demand premium to do? Series is known as SEX PISTOLS in Japan.

HUSBAND, HONEYMOON by Haruka Minami · Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers · MSRP: $5.99 USD · Available Now!  

Sakuya and Shuji are a couple of love-struck newlyweds. Shuji is a hard-nosed section chief who, unbeknownst to his employees, sneaks away on his coffee breaks to gaze lovingly at pictures of his sweet Sakuya. Sakuya, on the other hand, struggles with the simplest of household chores, desperate to please his loving, hardworking husband. With the sudden intrusion of a handsome next-door neighbor, Sakuya’s days are about to be just as stimulating as his sexy nights with Shuji!

OKU-SAN’S DAILY FANTASIES by Noboru Takatsuki · Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers · MSRP: $5.99 USD · Available Now!

Oku-san is a normal office worker who has one joy in life, to fantasize about his local deliveryman, Sudo-kun. To feed his fantasies and his desire to see Sudo-kun, Oku-san habitually shops online filling his room with useless and sometimes very erotic things. It’s all pretty harmless until one day his neighbor Yokoshima finds out about his secret hobby. Caught between two hot guys—at least in his mind—will Oku-san be able to fantasize his way out of this one?

THE BED OF MY DEAR KING by Sakae Kusama · Rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers · MSRP: $5.99 USD · Available Now!

A suite of emotionally resonant, romantic stories told by a critically acclaimed manga creator. In “The Bed of My Dear King,” an electrician called to a remote job deep in the mountains discovers the startling reasons behind the behavior of the house’s lone occupant, an eccentric young sculptor. In “Cherry,” an overachieving high school student forms an unexpected bond with a laid-back classmate. And in “Flowers,” the secrets surrounding a tragic death lead to an unexpected, and poignant, resolution.

 * * * * *

For up-to-date news and release information, please visit the SuBLime website at www.SuBLimeManga.com, or follow SuBLime on Twitter at @SuBLimeManga and Facebook at facebook.com/SuBLimeManga.

About SuBLime
SuBLime is a global yaoi/boys’ love manga publisher, and is a partnership between VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate). This bold, global publishing initiative will present English-speaking fans everywhere with a broad selection of high quality titles. SuBLime will offer titles digitally worldwide available at www.SuBLimeManga.com, with many available in Download-to-Own format, and selections in print also available in English-language editions worldwide.

In Volume 2 of Wandering Son, as you would expect, we begin to discover that just because you have someone to share your dreams does not necessarily mean that they become easier to achieve. Shuichi gets more of the focus here, and he’s starting to realize just what he’s getting into with his desire to be a girl. His sister is angry and suspicious of him… while at the same time being fascinated about dressing him up. Classmates are being cruel as only children can. But it’s actually a simple classroom assignment to write down what you want to be when you grow up that almost breaks him this volume. The future is scary.

In volume 1 it was Saori that drew my attention, but in this volume it seems to be Maho, Shuichi’s sister. She’s clearly presented unsympathetically at times, and I get the feeling that things will only get worse in that regard. But I love how things are never as cut and dried as “good guy” and “bad guy” in this series, especially with the children. After all, Shuichi may be the hero, but Maho is having to deal with being a young girl as well, not to mention her brother is dressing up as a girl, to the point where one of her classmates starts to fall for Shuichi. The characters develop from their situations, which is all you can ask for in this sort of work.

Meanwhile, the young woman we met in Volume One, Yuki, gets her own secret revealed. It’s not particularly surprising to me – I was more surprised that she was unaware of Shuichi and Yoshino’s identities. Yuki’s boyfriend, though, does lead to one of the funniest (and most cringe-inducing) scenes in the entire volume, where he looks at Yoshino suspiciously and then decides to verify her gender. Yoshino’s reaction made me laugh, but at the same time, I’m amazed she didn’t slug him… or run off. Yuki notes that it’s very rare to have two friends like Shuichi and Yoshino are. In addition to the transgender issues, the core of each volume is, of course, the friendship they have, and I hope that it continues to develop.

The second half of the volume is a class trip, and shows us that Shuichi is having difficulties with the other kids in his class. He’s so softspoken that he tends to get picked on, and one boy in particular is pressing him to see just how far he can take it, calling him “faggot” and mocking him on the bus. You don’t have to be familiar with transgender issues to understand what’s going on here (though this being manga, I would not particularly be surprised were that bully redeemed a ways down the road). Then there’s Saori, who, unlike Shuichi and Yoshino, can’t just sit back and let injustice go. She’s reminded of Anne of Green Gables, a book which most Western readers will know, and it leads to a truly wonderful scene. I like Saori, but given her high-strung nature I worry that she’s going to have even more trouble growing up than our two leads.

As with the first volume, the second one ends with an essay by translator Matt Thorn, this one dealing with transgender and homosexuality in the united States and Japan. (Neither Shuichi nor Yoshino’s sexuality has come up in the manga yet, but I’m fairly certain it will at some point.) Matt’s essay is excellent, noting the similarities and differences in the prejudices among cultures. Wandering Son, of course, will be dealing with family, and friends, and classmates. It’s not really going to have the option of viewing transgender issues from a distance the way a lot of Japanese folks can. Let’s hope Shuichi and Yoshino can weather the storm.

We’ll start with some manwha, as Dark Horse has Vol. 10 of Bride of the Water God, the story of a girl and her gods.

Kodansha Comics has the 3 manga that came out this week, because Diamond is always one step behind. There’s Negima 33, which contains possibly the funniest joke in the entire series, as well as some of the most tear-jerking moments. Deltora Quest puts out its fourth volume of Emily Rodda-based fantasy. And if you like cute 4-koma goodness, there’s the 2nd volume of Shugo Chara-chan!

I apologize to Vertical, and Onizuka. I love GTO, and next week sees the release of the first volume of GTO: 14 Days in Shonan. It’s basically exactly what GTO fans want to see in terms of new material: Onizuka being an idiot, Onizuka being badass, lots of horrible children that need his special brand of ‘befriending’ (Onizuka and Nanoha would get along great), and a cameo by Urumi for you obsessives. It would absolutely get the picture this week, except my heart belongs to Maria. I hope you understand. Buy this anyway.

I’ve been waiting for this one it seems like forever, and it’s finally here. A Devil and Her Love Song is basically all the things I like in a shoujo manga in one package. Strong heroine without being overly dense. Likeable guys who have depth to them. Bullying being realistic but not dominating the entire series. And Ave Maria. This is my big release of the week.

It comes along with 80 bazillion other releases from Viz. We started with shoujo, so let’s continue with it. Ai Ore! Vol. 4 is now normal volume size, and also now runs in Asuka. Will the romance be any sweeter? … Probably not. Dawn of the Arcana puts out its second volume, which ties together political intrigue and forbidden romance. From Hakusensha, there’s new Kamisama Kiss, Library Wars, Natsume’s Book of Friends and Otomen. Lastly, there’s new Story of Saiunkoku (I’m still bitter about the beard shaving), and new Sakura Hime (because Viz has to publish at least one Tanemura title or they all die from the gypsy’s curse.)

Shonen time. First of all, Hayate, why are you here among all the Jump stuff? Also, why are you out a month earlier than I expected? Not that I’m complaining. Hayate the Combat Butler 19 is still funny, still not cancelled, and still not even close to resolving any romantic pairings. (Yes, it’s back to being funny. I’ll let you know when it gets serious again… around Vol. 23, I believe.)

Jump stuff! Bakuman 9, which will no doubt have lots of great Jump/publishing anecdotes and info mixed with treatment of female characters that makes my skin crawl (though I hear it’s improved. A bit.). There’s Bleach 38, not quite sped up (how does one speed Aizen up? The man has to move at his own pace, I tell you…). The highly underrated Blue Exorcist 6, continuing to flesh out Bon’s backstory. Another volume of Nura, which has been matching Kamisama Kiss and Natsume’s Book of Friends yokai for yokai. (They need to have a Yokai-Off.) Slam Dunk is up to Volume 20, which makes it about 10 volumes ahead of how far I thought it’d get. I sense the hand of Shueisha’s Japanese owners behind this one. Good stuff, though. Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee and Toriko have both hit Volume 8, and… really could not be more different from each other, aside from being shonen.

Lastly, there’s two game tie-ins. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Platinum Vol. 4 (I presume Platinum is good? Were there silver and gold prequels?), and Yu-Gi-Oh 5DS Vol. 2, a series with so many spinoffs and sequels I cannot possibly make glib jokes about it (I let Medaka Box do that for me).

Something for nearly everyone next week. Anything you plan to buy?

Kate Dacey will be hosting the next Manga Moveable Feast, which will focus on Osamu Tezuka, at The Manga Critic.

Lori Henderson celebrates the Year of the Dragon with a roundup of manga that feature dragons. And Three Steps Over Japan spots some Dragonball Kai postage stamps!

It’s Luffy vs. Buggy in Derek Bown’s latest Combat Commentary piece at Manga Bookshelf.

News from Japan: A shoplifter stole all 64 volumes of One Piece from a bookstore in Shizuoka Prefecture, carting away ten volumes at a time in his duffel bag. Store personnel noticed the guy but the store was full of holiday shoppers, so they didn’t twig to the crime until the next day, when they noticed the missing volumes. The Freezing: First Chronicle spinoff manga has come to an end in the most recent issue of Comic Valkyrie.

Reviews: Carlo Santos takes an unvarnished look at a stack of recent releases in his latest Right Turn Only!! column at ANN.

David Brothers on 7 Billion Needles (4thletter!)
Kristin on The Art of the Secret World of Arrietty (Comic Attack)
Lori Henderson on vols. 11-20 of Black Cat (Manga Xanadu)
Connie on Boys Love (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on Cafe Latte Rhaphsody (Slightly Biased Manga)
Erica Friedman on Green (Okazu)
Connie on vol. 3 of Natsume’s Book of Friends (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 2 of No Longer Human (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 2 of Sailor Moon (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 6 of Sakura Hime (Slightly Biased Manga)
Rebecca Silverman on vols. 5 and 6 of The Story of Saiunkoku (ANN)
Snow Wildsmith on vol. 2 of Wandering Son (Good Comics for Kids)
Connie on vol. 6 of Wild Adapter (Slightly Biased Manga)

Our feast has two goals. The first is to promote intelligent, in-depth analysis of manga we love (or, in some cases, hate). Previous contributions have run the gamut from straightforward reviews to an interview with Sexy Voice and Robo editor Eric Searleman, a guided tour through Kaoru Mori’s “Emmaverse,” and an essay contrasting Urushibara’s Mushishi with Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. The second goal is to foster a sense of community among avid manga readers. Everyone is invited to take part in the MMF, regardless of whether you’ve participated before.

From February 19th through February 25th, I will hosting a week-long tribute to legendary manga-ka Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astro Boy, Black Jack, Buddha, Dororo, Jungle Emperor Leo, MW, Ode to Kirihito, Phoenix, Swallowing the Earth, and many other titles. Everyone is encouraged to participate, whether they wish to review one of the many Tezuka titles available in English, write an in-depth article about Tezuka’s star system, or trace his influence on other famous manga-ka. If you have your own blog, simply send me an email with links to your essays; if you don’t, I am happy to post your contribution here at The Manga Critic.

Readers seeking more information on Tezuka’s life and works are encouraged to visit Tezuka in English, a comprehensive site exploring his career as an animator and cartoonist. Other sources of information include:

• Tezuka’s official website, TezukaOsamu.net, offers a mixture of news and biographical information in English, as well as selections of various manga. (Note that selections are in Japanese.)
• The Wikipedia entry on Osamu Tezuka.
• This English-language bibliography of articles, books, and websites about Tezuka, which I compiled in December 2010.

Interested in discussing Tezuka’s oeuvre with other manga lovers? I’d like to host a rountable conversation at my site on at least one of the following topics:

• Race and racism in Osamu Tezuka’s manga
• Gender, sex, and sexism in Tezuka’s manga
• Japanese-American relations as depicted in Tezuka’s manga

If you’d be interested in joining such a discussion, or in proposing a topic, please send me an email before February 12th, indicating which of the roundtables are of greatest interest to you. I will then contact all the folks who expressed an interest in participating to make appropriate arrangements.