Shojo Flash

New Releases - September 25th, 2009

2009-09-22T11:20:00.002-04:00

Tokyopop is giving us some more shojo releases (finally). Of course, one of those releases is KimiKiss, vol. 2, so you can see how "shojo" they might be. On to the list.

Tokyopop

Karakuri Odette, vol. 1
KimiKiss, vol. 2
V.B. Rose, vol. 6
Vampire Doll: Guilt-Na-Zan, vol. 6

It's been quite a while since we've seen more than one Tokyopop release. I'm personally excited for V.B. Rose, vol. 6

News

2009-09-17T16:38:00.003-04:00

Viz media will be releasing another shojo anime, this time Honey & Clover! For those who haven't read it yet, Viz describes Honey & Clover as, " a group of art school students who try to find their way through college, but when an innocent and talented 19-year-old girl enters their lives, things get a way more complicated and love triangles result."

A thirteen episode, 3 disk set is set to be released on September 22nd.

Honey and Clover© 2005 CHICA UMINO/SHUEISHA • Honey and Clover committee

New Releases - September 16th, 2009

2009-09-15T12:25:00.000-04:00

Well, if you're a yaoi fan, than this week is going to be exciting for you. I count at LEAST five new yaoi titles that will be hitting the shelves this week. Once in a while I love picking up a yaoi, but I really need to be in the mood for it.

For pure shojo fans, the only new release is the third Viz Big edition of Fushigi Yugi. Oh well, at least it's something!

Manga Review - Mixed Vegetables, vol. 5

2009-09-10T13:30:00.003-04:00

Mixed Vegetables, vol. 5
By: Ayumi Komura
North American Publisher: Shojo Beat

I reviewed volume four of Mixed Vegetables a while ago here, where not only did I confess my undying love of cooking manga, but how I almost dropped the series after volume two. Volume four I felt was definitely the best of the series to that point, and I personally think volume five is an improvement on that!

In this volume, the heroine Hanayu must come to terms with the fact that her love interest, and sushi shop owner's son, Hayato may never get to fulfill his dream of being a baker. And to make matters worse, want to be sushi chef Hanayu has a big sushi exam, but her family's bakery needs her help at the exact same time. Will she choose her sushi dreams over her family's bakery? There are tough choices for all the characters in this volume, which honestly makes me see them all grow a lot.

This manga only has three more volumes after number five, which I think is perfect for it. I think the story should wrap up nicely by then. My only complaint with this volume is that there are not enough images of pretty food!

New Releases - September 9, 2009

2009-09-08T11:28:00.001-04:00

So, there are NO new shojo releases this week! None. This is sad news shojo fans. Oh well, I guess it will give me time to catch up from last week eh?

Look for reviews on Mixed Vegetables and Nana!

Comic Con/Fan Expo loot and other photos

2009-09-06T08:10:00.000-04:00

I promised these photos LONG ago. So readers I apologize that it's taken me forever to post them. But here we go!

First up - San Diego Comic Con (I didn't attend, but my boyfriend did and brought me back some goodies)

Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter Beauty Figurines

Comic Con Exclusives - Yellow Domo Qee, Littlest Pet Shop Super Hero Kitty,
My Little Pony, Glow in the Dark Ice Bat

Now onto Fan Expo in Toronto. I worked the booth for Big B, the comic shop I work for.

This is me with our sweet banner!

I met 'Elektra'. She did a good job!

Look, it's Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter in real life form!

And things I purchased!

Sailor Moon Goodies (hoyeah, there are temporary tattoos in there!)

I like kitties

A lot....

Exhibitor's badge. Best thing ever. No lines, no waiting. Free!

Manga Review - Lovely Complex, vol. 14

2009-09-05T13:20:00.001-04:00

Lovely Complex, vol. 14
By: Aya Nakahara
North American Publisher: Shojo Beat

Love Com is one of those manga I keep picking up, forgetting about for a while, and then picking up for a while. It's genuinely funny and sweet, and has its touching moments.

Risa's grandad is back in town and hates her short boyfriend Otani. He'll do anything to split them up, even hire a busty young woman to try to tempt Otani away. But wait, the girl he hired nabbed the wrong guy? Who is this new rival for Otani's love then?

The comedy in Love Com is really its stand out feature. If you want something funny, where circumstances always create humour, you want Love Com. Its truly one of the funniest shojos out there!

Manga Review - High School Debut, vol. 11

2009-09-03T13:10:00.001-04:00

High School Debut, vol. 11
By: Kazune Kawahara
North American Publisher: Shojo Beat

I'll start this review off honestly - I LOVE High School Debut. It's by far my favorite romance/comedy/school life manga. It can do no wrong in my eyes. Also, I completed the series long ago through scanlations because I couldn't wait for the volumes. I do pick them up and reread them when they are released though. It's just that good.

Volume eleven takes a bit more serious turn for Yoh and Haruna's relationship. Not only is Yoh forced to start cramming for the upcoming entrance exams for university, but he also has a new girl in his life. This girl is a classmate at Yoh's cram school, and unbeknown to Yoh, she wants him all to herself. Yoh thinks of her as just another girl, but when Haruna starts seeing them together, jealousy ensues. Honestly, this is possibly the toughest thing they've gone through in their relationship, and I couldn't put it down.

Of course things get resolved in the end, and Yoh and Haruna plan a trip together. Haruna suggests an overnight trip! GASP! Well, not so much. Poor Haruna doesn't even know what an over night trip entails! Hilarity ensues.

Again, I admit I love this series. It's amazing, it's sweet, and it feels real. The protagonists are realistically flawed and work together on so many levels. Pick it up already!

New Releases - September 2, 2009

2009-09-01T17:00:00.000-04:00

Hey shojo fans! I'm back from Fan Expo in Toronto, Ontario. I had an amazing time. Hopefully I'll have a chance to post some photos from the con, and of some stuff I got. While I'm at it, I'll post some stuff from Comic Con in San Diego as well!

On to this week's new releases!

Viz

High School Debut, vol. 11
Honey and Clover, vol. 7
Love Com, vol. 14
Mixed Vegetables, vol. 5
Monkey High, vol. 7
Nana, vol. 18
Rasetsu, vol. 2
S.A., vol. 12
San Chronicles, vol. 6
St. Dragon Girl, vol. 4
We Were There, vol. 6

CMX

A Tale of an Unknown Country, vol. 1

As you can see, there are a TON of titles coming out from Viz. My goodness!

News

2009-09-01T11:43:00.003-04:00

Some big news hit this morning. Kodansha, possibly the most recognized Japanese manga company, has decided to stop all licenses with Tokyopop.

As many of you might know, Tokyopop has been in a long, steady decline over the past few years. Originally they were THE name in manga in North America, snapping up titles left and right for licensing. But once other companies started making SMART decisions on which titles to license, Tokyopop started struggling.

What does this mean? A lot of titles are left in limbo, while some other companies like Dark Horse will be turning some titles (mostly CLAMP works) into omnibus editions (who is excited for this? ME!)

Word on the street (ie: my boss) is that Kodansha is creating its own North American branch to release it's titles. Because they would obviously have first kick at the cat on the best titles to release in North America, I wonder if this will affect other BIG North American publishers, namely Viz.

Your thoughts?

Hiatus for FanExpo

2009-08-25T16:20:00.002-04:00

Hello Shojo Flash readers! Just a quick note - I'll be away for about a week for FanExpo starting today. I have so much prep to do, plus the actual con on the weekend.

If you're coming to the con in Toronto, stop by the Big B Comics booth and say 'hello!'

Manga Review - Ooku: The Inner Chambers

2009-08-21T18:10:00.001-04:00

Ooku: The Inner Chambers
By: Fumi Yoshinaga
North American Publisher: Viz Signature

Ooku: The Hidden Chambers grabs you and pulls you in from the first page. Set in Edo Japan, it tells of a pox that kills off about 3/4 of the male population of Japan, leaving women to do all the men's work, including running the entire country. Poor men are often prostituted out by their families to women looking to get pregnant, while the wealthier families can expect their sons to marry well without worry.

The leader of the country is a woman who has a staff of about 800 men. Here in the chambers works Mizuno, the poor son of a samurai family. He goes to the chambers to free his family of the burden of another mouth to feed, while he can send money home. He has left behind his childhood love, Nobu, a woman he could never be with due to his lower social standing. In the chambers he wins the favour of the high ranking men around him, and works his way up in rank.

The story is excellent, and the art is fantastic. A few times I worried that it was going to turn into yaoi smut, but luckily it always it only strays there momentarily without crossing the line into yaoi, which could really have turned this great josei manga into just another smut fest. It's realistic in how the men are portrayed, and how they act in regards to living with 800 men and only one woman.

I really enjoyed Ooku: The Inner Chambers. It's very mature and sophisticated, and walking Mizuno climb the ranks while retaining the characteristics that make him lovable makes for a wonderful story. My only complaint is in the translation. To make the dialogue sound "old" Viz has gone the route of using old English terms like "thou" and it really takes away from the story at points. Otherwise it's highly recommended!

Ooku © Fumi Yoshinaga 2005/HAKUSENSHA, Inc

News

2009-08-19T08:36:00.003-04:00

Viz is releasing two shojo novels to its Shojo Beat imprint. Missin' and Missin'2: Kasako hit shelves TODAY. By the same author as Kamikazee Girls, Missin' and Missin'2 are set in a world where maidenly virtues and music are put in the same category as madness.

The author, Novala Takemoto, is one of the biggest names in Lolita style fashion and if you've read Kamikazee Girls, you'll know the characters often reflect that sense of style. So expect lots of Lolita-esque fashions and mannerisms.

Personally I wasn't a huge fan of Kamikazee Girls, but I do love the Lolita
style, at least to look at. Plus I'm surprised that Viz is releasing novels in their Shojo Beat line!

MISSIN'© 2000 Novala TAKEMOTO/Shogakukan
MISSIN' 2 KASAKO © 2004Novala TAKEMOTO/Shogakukan

New Releases - August 19th, 2009

2009-08-17T21:15:00.000-04:00

Yet another small week I'm afraid.

Gestalt, vol. 2
Hot Gimmick VizBig edition, vol. 2
Ooku: The Inner Chambers, vol. 1

Although I am very excited about Ooku: The Inner Chambers!

Shojo Title Tops NY Times Bestseller List

2009-08-14T14:10:00.000-04:00

Wow, here is a rare site! A shojo manga, Vampire Knight (Shojo Beat) is the top selling manga title this week. Actually, SIX of the ten titles are shojo manga.

1. Vampire Knight, vol. 7 (Shojo Beat)
4. Fruits Basket, vol. 23 (Tokyopop)
6. D.N.Angel, vol. 12 (Tokyopop)
7. Otomen, vol. 3 (Shojo Beat)
9. Black Bird, vol. 1 (Shojo Beat)
10. Bloody Kiss, vol. 1 (Tokyopop)

Awesome!

Manga Review - Kimi ni Todoke, vol. 1

2009-08-14T11:25:00.001-04:00

Kimi ni Todoke, vol. 1
By: Shiina Karuho
North American Publisher: Shojo Beat

I was finally able to pick up a copy of Kimi ni Todoke and I have mixed feelings on it. I loved chapter one when I reviewed it here. It seemed interesting and something new. And the love interest didn't appear to be all that he seemed, which was nice. In 2008 it won the Kodansha manga award for best shojo manga, and is soon to be turned into an anime and a live action series.

After I read the complete first volume I wasn't quite as enthused as I was after the first chapter. It's still a good story, don't get me wrong! It's about a teenage girl, Sawako, who looks like Sadako from the Ringu movies, so all her classmates fear her, save on. His name is Kazehaya and he's always positive and friendly with everyone. He mistakes Sawako's respect for a crush and gets a little freaked out, but realizes very quickly that he was mistaken. From there their friendship grows, while other girls in their class get jealous.

After that the story gets a little stagnant in parts. I do want to keep reading, and after reading some comments on mangaupdates I think I'm right in saying that judging this book by the first volume alone is a big mistake. Keep reading, it's supposed to get AMAZING. Plus it comes with some really cute stickers!

Now one thing I've noticed is that Shojo Beat has been changing up its covers. Originally they were very uniform, but lately it seems they are doing their best to replicate the original Japanese covers. Thoughts?

Polls and Opinions

2009-08-12T16:00:00.003-04:00

Here I talk about the latest ICv2 Insiders' guide. It discusses manga properties that are selling well, and new ones to keep an eye out for. So I was wondering a couple of things (plus it's a slow shojo week).

poll by twiigs.com

Also, who would like to see images of what my boyfriend was nice enough to get me from the San Diego Comic Con?

New Releases - August 12, 2009

2009-08-11T14:00:00.001-04:00

So not so much coming out this week. Viz released it's signature titles, which are mostly shonen. And that seems to be about it. Wow

Viz

Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun , Vol. 9

Manga Review - The Name of the Flower, vol. 1

2009-08-08T08:00:00.001-04:00

The Name of the Flower, vol. 1
By: Saitou Ken
North American Publisher: CMX

The Name of the Flower is a drama manga about a young woman, Chouko, whose parents were killed in a car wreck when she was sixteen. After being passed around from family member to family member she winds up living with her father's distant cousin, Kei, a famous writer who is twelve years older than she.

Two years have passed since then when the story begins, and Chouko and Kei live a fairly uneventful life. Chouko has started applying to university, and at the prospect of leaving Kei, she realizes that she has developed feelings for him. Her feelings are definitely returned, since his latest novel, Hana, is about a writer falling in love with the girl sent to live with him.

When I first glanced at The Name of the Flower, the first thing I noticed was the art. Some of it was very striking, but sadly most of it looks very much like yaoi. It seems to work with the story though, so don't let that deter you from picking it up. My only complaint, besides the art at times, is the pacing of the story. It jumps ahead by years, months, weeks, and sometimes makes me go "wait, what?" But it makes up for it with its subtlety, it's calm way of conveying life's simple moments. Quite a good read.

Manga News

2009-08-06T22:42:00.003-04:00

Viz has announced a new josei title to their signature lineup! Yay! More josei manga! They have recently picked up Ooku: The Inner Chambers by Yoshinaga Fumi (Antique Bakery, Gerard to Jacques).

Set in the Edo period of Japan, this gender role reversing sci-fi drama is about a disease that has killed off all but 1/4 of the men, leaving women to take up men's traditional roles in the home and outside as well. Because there are so few men left, they are highly protected.

Ooku: The Inner Chambers has won numerous awards in Japan, including 2009 Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize and the 2006 Japan Media Arts Festival Excellence Award. So not only are we getting some new josei, but new GOOD josei!

Ooku © Fumi Yoshinaga 2005/HAKUSENSHA, Inc.

Manga Review - Black Bird, vol. 1

2009-08-06T13:28:00.002-04:00

Black Bird, vol. 1
By: Kanoko Sakurakoji
North American Publisher: Shojo Beat

Black Bird is yet another demon shojo, but it's something special. Our heroine is Misao, a sixteen year old girl who can see demons. Unlike most characters who can see demons in other mangas, she tries to ignore them. Too bad for Misao, things are going to get a lot worse. See, she is the bride of prophesy, and more demons are coming to take the power she holds. Most want to eat her, while the most powerful clan demon clan leaders want to marry her to make their clan more powerful.

As Misao is getting bothered more and more by insignificant demons, a more powerful one comes to eat her flesh. Lucky for Misao, her childhood friend Kyo steps back into her life at just the right time and saves her. We quickly find out that Kyo is not all that he appears, and wants to marry Misao. Now Misao has to decide whether her first childhood love still loves her for her, or if he just wants her power.

While I don't personally read a lot of the darker, demon themed books it's not because I don't like them. I quite enjoy them. I just find most of them read like really bad fan-fiction where it's obvious the author is living their fantasy through their work (I'm looking at you S. Meyer). Black Bird, so far, isn't like that at all. I quite enjoyed the first volume. At first I was worried that each chapter would be the same, Misao gets in trouble, Kyo saves her, he tries to have sex with her, she pushes him away. Repeat. It quickly grows and twists and turns develop. Excellent first volume!

Non-manga shojo! Nail Polish

2009-08-04T16:09:00.004-04:00

As I've mentioned before in this blog, one of my favorite things besides shojo manga is nail polish. One of the blogs I regularly visit, Scrangie, featured a line of British polishes, Eyeko. Eyeko means love in Japanese, and their products are shojo manga and anime inspired jems!

See the polishes at Scrangie here. She includes pictures of the polishes on her nails, which is awesome!

Visit Eyeko here.

Check out Eyeko's manga artist competition here.

I definitely want all of their stuff now!

image credit to scrangie and eyeko

New Releases - August 5, 2009

2009-08-04T12:30:00.000-04:00

Again, it's that wonderful week were Viz drops a whole bunch of shojo in our laps. There are some other interesting titles coming out too. So let's get started!

CMX

Tears of a Lamb, vol. 6

Tokyopop

Bizenghast, vol. 6
Bloody Kiss, vol. 1

Viz

B.O.D.Y., vol. 6
Baby and Me, vol. 15
Black Bird, vol. 1
Crimson Hero, vol. 11
Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time, vol. 5
Kaze Hikaru, vol. 14
Magic Touch, vol. 3
Otomen, vol. 3
Vampire Knight, vol. 7

Yen Press

Cynical Orange, vol. 8
Dystopia
One Thousand and One Nights, vol. 8

Manga Review - I Hate You More Than Anyone, vol. 1

2009-08-03T10:55:00.000-04:00

I Hate You More Than Anyone, vol. 1
By: Banri Hidaka
North American Publisher: CMX

I started reading I Hate You More Than Anyone last night while waiting for my Sims game to load. I have to admit I almost gave up on it right away. I'm very glad I didn't though! I had high hopes because it's by the same mangaka as one of my new favorite series, V.B. Rose. This one is about Kazuha, the oldest sibling in a family of six kids. She has a crush on her youngest brother's daycare teacher, Mizushima. While Mizushima kindly ignores her advances, his best friend Sugimoto has fallen head over heels for Kazuha. Kazuha, in turn, hates Sugimoto more than anyone.

When Kazuha finds out that Mizushima is engaged, she turns to Sugimoto for comfort. As they finally start talking, she lets him cut her hair. He's a very experienced hair dresser, and thinks that Kazuha has the most perfect hair he's ever seen. Kazuha starts to realize he's not that bad, and maybe she might want to get into the hairdressing profession.

The reason I almost gave up on this one is that it starts out rather jumbled. There are random flashbacks that don't get set up well, and random characters that pop out and don't make a lot of sense at first. I'm not sure if this is faulty translating, or if the mangaka was rushing. Either way, it seems like someone was rushing a bit.

One I got past the first third of the volume, the story really grew into it's own. Check it out for some nice, slice of life, love!

Manga Review - Sugarholic, vol.1

2009-08-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

Sugarholic, vol. 1
By: Gong GooGoo
North American Publisher: Yen Press

Sugarholic is a cute series from Korea. I'll be honest, if I wasn't reading it for my blog I'd probably not have picked it up. I'm just not a huge fan of manhwa. Mostly because I find no difference from one series to the next. The characters seem to blend together to me.

Sugarholic is an improvement on most manhwa I've read, and the story is cute. Jae-Gyu is forced to move to the city with her brother, and it's nothing but trouble. Not only that, but she runs into her childhood bully who is now a famous rock star. But he doesn't want to tease her anymore, turns out he's looking for a little romance.

I was pleasantly surprised with this manhwa. Will I continue to read it? Probably not. Like I said, manhwa really isn't something I can get into easily. But if you like melodrama with some slap stick thrown in, check out Sugarholic.

Manga Review - Zone-00, vol. 1

2009-07-31T08:00:00.003-04:00

Zone-00, vol. 1
By: Kiyo Kyujyo (Kiyo QZO according to Tokyopop)
North American Publisher: Tokyopop

Zone-00 is by the same mangaka as Trinity Blood, so I was expecting a good dark, almost scary action shojo when I picked this up. I was quite wrong. This manga is just so haphazardly put together it makes zero sense, and it's barely beyond porn. I almost requested it be changed to a seinan title on mangaupdates.com, but then decided against it because I really didn't think it was intended for men.

Basically it's about a world where demons and humans co-exist, and a drug called Zone-00 is causing demons to attack humans. So now two teens, a demon and an exorcist, must stop whoever is producing the drug.

Like I said, it's haphazard. The art is all over the place. While Kiyo Kyujyo is a talented artist, she tries to jam too much into every page, making it hard to follow and harsh on the eye.

Simply put - avoid this one. You want a good scary tale? Check out Mail. I read that the other day, awesomeness.

Previews for October, 2009

2009-07-30T15:14:00.003-04:00

Oh shojo fans... this isn't good. Here I looked at the ICv2 Insider's Guide and it looked like huge selections for shojo was coming out way in the fall. Then I looked at the most recent previews catalogue and it tells a different story. Especially from Viz. I've contacted a press rep from Viz about this, so hopefully I might be able to share some information with you in the future. Mind you, Tokyopop has been at least trying to gain more ground in the shojo territory. Anyway, let's take a look at what's coming out in October!

CMX (advanced solicitations for November)

Fire Investigator Nanase, vol. 3
King of Cards, vol. 8
The Lizard Prince, vol. 1
Name of the Flower, vol. 3

Del Rey

Kamichama Karin-Chu, vol. 6
Papillon, vol. 4

Doki Doki

The Devil Inside, one shot
Millennium Prime Minister, vol. 2
Train Train, vol. 3

Net Comics

100% Perfect Girl, vol. 9
Adventures of Young Det, vol. 3

Tokyopop

Bloody Kiss, vol. 2
Game X Rush, vol. 2
I.N.V.U., vol. 5
Kyo Kara Maoh!, vol. 4
Mikansei No. 1, vol. 1
NG Life, vol. 3
Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo, vol. 6
Phantom Dream, vol. 4
Shinobi Life, vol. 3
Tsubas: Those with Wings, vol. 3
Zone-00, vol. 2

Viz (Shojo Beat) (advanced solicitations for November)

Beast Master, vol. 1
Black Bird, vol. 2
Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden, vol. 9
Nana, vol. 19
Ouran High School Host Club, vol. 13
Vampire Night, vol. 8
It appears there are more Shojo Beat titles slated for release in November, but Viz has not added them to the list of solicitations in Previews.

Yen Press

Nightschool, vol. 2

So yeah, I honestly expected a lot more shojo stuff to be coming our way. Mostly because when this stuff is coming out, people will have started their Christmas shopping. And the more products ready for Christmas, the better! CMX and Tokyopop are starting to really put in a great effort in getting stuff out there for girls, while other companies are waning.

As for other stuff of interest, there wasn't. Well, I'm ordering some Jack O Lantern slippers, but there is nothing that has anything to do with shojo. I'm rather disappointed.

ICv2 Insider's Guide

2009-07-29T17:12:00.004-04:00

The latest ICv2 Insider's Guide has come out and let's take a look at the manga inside! Ok, well this issue was geared more towards graphic novels, but there is still some buzz.

First up are the Manga Pick Hits for Q4. Basically these are the manga titles to watch for in the last quarter this year. This is my favorite list, because it's a great, quick way to see some awesome new shojo titles to keep an eye out for! There is even a josei, Butterflies, Flowers, title on the list!

2nd - Beast Master (Viz)
3rd - Only One Wish (Del Rey)
4th - Butterflies, Flowers (Viz)
15th - Itazura na Kiss (DMP)

They next take a look at the top 25 Manga Properties in Q2 (or most profitable series in the second quarter of the year), and at the same time the top 10 Shojo Properties in Q2. The first number is what number they are on the shojo list, and the one in brackets is the one they are at on the overall list. There are many more shojo titles on the list in comparison to the last lists that came out (view my entry on it here). Could it mean the shojo market is growing? Or maybe just higher quality stuff is coming out!

1 (2) - Fruits Basket (Tokyopop)
2 (3) - Vampire Night (Viz)
3 (12) - Gentleman's Alliance (Viz)
4 (13) - Otomen (Viz)
5 (17) - Ouran High School Host Club (Viz)
6 (18) - Wild Ones (Viz)
7 (19) - Kitchen Princess (Del Rey)
8 (21) - Captive Hearts (Viz)
9 (24) - Shugo Chara (Del Rey)
10 (-) - Skip Beat! (Viz)

As you can see, Viz holds most of the best selling, and most look forward to titles. So despite the dissolve of Shojo Beat Magazine Viz is obviously putting a strong effort in its shojo titles. So good news!

New Releases - July 29, 2009

2009-07-28T13:05:00.001-04:00

Well, there certainly are some shojo titles coming out this week, and that's good news. More good news? Looks like Kimi ni Todoke, vol. 1 will be hitting shelves this week rather than August 4th, the listed date on Viz's website.

Del Rey

Kamichama Karin-Chu, vol. 5

Tokyopop

D.N.Angel, vol. 12
Maid Sama, vol. 2
Phantom Dream, vol. 3
Tsubasa: Those With Wings, vol. 2
Zone 00, vol. 1

Viz

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, vol. 1

Yen Press

Pig Bride, vol. 2
Sugarholic, vol. 1

New Layout

2009-07-27T17:36:00.002-04:00

As you can see, I've changed things around on here! I've meant to do it for quite a while. Originally I was using an image of Sailor Mercury as my header, but I really wanted this blog to be my own. So I made my own image, edited it, and played around with things. Let me know what you think!

And if you're interested, here is the original image I drew. I changed the colours, and some minor details for the header, but figured some might be interested.

Scanlation Review - Papillon ~ Hana to Cho

2009-07-26T09:19:00.007-04:00

Papillon ~ Hana to Cho
By: Ueda Miwa
Scanlated by: Chapters 1-7 by defunked groups (you can find them on Manga Traders) Chapter 8 + Evil Flowers

I generally only review new scanlations of recently released series, and I've never done a review of a licensed manga (Del Rey has published 3 volumes, but for the life of me I cannot get my hands on 2 or 3). But I was too excited to see that someone had started releasing Papillon ~ Hana to Cho that I couldn't help myself.

Papillon is a series by one of my favorite mangakas, Ueda Miwa (Peach Girl). As a side note Ueda Miwa was a former assistant to Naoko Takeuchi (Sailor Moon)! Anyway, this is another great, mature shojo from Miwa.

It stars Ageha, a sweep, if not plain, school girl who is a bit of a loner. She has a crush on childhood friend Ryuusei, but her main rival for his affection is Hana, the beautiful, popular girl in Ageha's grade. The twist? They are identical twin sisters. See, Ageha was raised in the country and has grown up with a more country, rural mentality, while Hana was raised in the city and is much more fashion minded.

When Ageha admits her feelings for Ryuusei, Hana swoops in and steals him from her. But Ageha's not alone anymore. Because she was honest about her feelings for Ryuusei, some popular girls in her class get together and give her a makeover, and befriend her in the process.

The first volume (can be found on mangatraders.com) is mostly about Ageha's transformation and the typical "beautiful girl sets out to ruin not so beautiful girl's life" but with a twist. The second volume you see almost none of Hana. It focuses on Ageha's relationship with her mother and why she was sent to live in the country when she was a baby. It's very touching, and a rare look into a character's psychology that most mangaka's tend to avoid.

I cannot wait to read more of this manga. It's amazing, and Evil Flowers is doing a great job. Plus, while their site is a forum, it doesn't have a mandatory post minimum before you can see downloads. They have a lot of appealing shojo series, definitely take a look!

Feedback and News from San Diego

2009-07-24T19:13:00.004-04:00

While everyone who is anyone in the manga world is in San Diego, it seems that the world has stopped for a moment. While so let me post some twitter high lights from the largest Comic Con!

Viz has aquired the rights to Vampire Knight anime
Many Viz titles have been put on sale early at their booth at the con
Viz is bringing out the Ponyo comic on August 4th
Viz has released some new igoogle anime/manga themes
Tokyopop has a ton of convention videos up for the curious - here
Funimation has some limited pencil boards and other materials at their booth

I'll try my best to keep up with the tweets and let you guys know what's going on at the con. I have a personal spy down there as well, so hopefully when he gets back I'll have some more details for you guys,

Now for feedback! I'm hoping to hear your thoughts on this blog. Anything and everything. Please share! Be nice, be mean, whatever! I want to hear what you have to say!

Manga Review - V.B. Rose, vol. 1

2009-07-23T11:00:00.005-04:00

V.B. Rose, vol. 1
By: Hidaka Banri
North American Publisher: Tokyopop

I normally only review new release manga on my blog, but when Tokyopop put out their Shojo Sampler with the final volume of Fruits Basket I read the sample of V.B. Rose and loved what I read so I had to pick up volume one. I guess that means Tokyopop's sampler worked since at least I went and grabbed one book from their samples! (read my review of the shojo sampler here)

Anyway, onto V.B. Rose. From the sample I saw that the book looked sweet, frilly, a little silly, funny, with some touching interpersonal relationships. And boy was I right! The story is about Ageha, a high school student whose older sister is two months pregnant and getting married shortly. Ageha feels that no man is good enough for her sister, and is wholly upset about the upcoming nuptials.

To calm Ageha's nerves, her sister takes her to the wedding gown shop, a place called V.B. Rose. Since Ageha's hobby is making fancy purses for her friends and family, she feels right at home in the shop making her sister's custom gown. She decides to make ammends with her sister by doing the fancy bead work on her sister's gown as an apology for being so against the wedding.

The story is sweet, touching, and often quite funny. And the beautiful purses and gowns are very visually appealing! Definitely worth a read shojo fans!

New Releases - July 22, 2009

2009-07-21T15:16:00.004-04:00

Sad news everyone, so few shojo releases this week! I couldn't find anything specifically shojo that is coming out this week! Viz has some general interest manga coming out, but sadly that's it.

Now don't get me wrong, that isn't to say there isn't anything worth while coming out. Pluto Urasawa x Tezuka, vol. 4 is coming out, as well as The Lord of the Sands of Time. If you're up for anything a little heavier and less "shojo" but well written, check them out.

Manga News

2009-07-21T11:13:00.005-04:00

Two news items today. First of all Viz is proud to announce that they will be releasing a four volume film comic, a picture book, and an art book based on Hayao Miyazaki's new film, Ponyo. Ponyo is about a young fish who longs to be human and looks delightfully cute. Can't wait!

The second bit is from DMP. They've announced their special guest for Yaoi-Con 2009, which will be heald in San Mateo from October 30th to November 1st. DMP is proud to have Makoto Tateno as their guest of honour. Makoto Tateno is famous for her works Yellow, Steal Moon, Hero Heel, and Angelic Runes. You can find more information at yaoicon.com.

PONYO Picture Book© 2008 Nibariki - GNDHDDT

Manga Review - The Lapis Lazuli Crown, vol. 1

2009-07-20T08:15:00.001-04:00

The Lapis Lazuli Crown, vol. 1
By: Kawase Natsuna
North American Publisher: CMX

This was the third CMX title I picked up to review and honestly the one I had the least interest in. I read Venus Cappricio and Ballad of a Shinigami and loved both of them very much. The Lapis Lazuli Crown had a quasi-interesting plot, but nothing that screamed "READ ME" to me.

The story is about the daughter, Miel, of a poor but aristocratic magical family from a magical kingdom. She has magical powers and super human strength, but doesn't care for using either. She wants to be seen as dainty so that she can marry a wealthy upper class gentleman. One day she runs into a boy on the street, Radi, who encourages her to train her magical powers better, and gives her some magical gems to help her along. Oh, and he might be a prince.

Honestly, this book did nothing to draw me in as a reader, and I felt bored reading it. It's very cliched and moves very slowly. The protagonist, Miel, is pretty annoying and clueless and not in an enduring kind of way. Honestly, I wouldn't waste your time on this unless you were completely starved for something with fantasy and magic.

Manga Review - Ballad of a Shinigami, vol. 1

2009-07-18T10:00:00.002-04:00

Ballad of a Shinigami, vol. 1
By: Izumi Asuka, Hasegawa Keisuke
North American Publisher: CMX

Ballad of a Shinigami is a collection of short stories that are intertwined by the one character, Momo a white shinigami (god of death) and her partner, a winged cat named Daniel. Unlike most death gods, Momo is sweet and compassionate and listens to people. She delivers messages of hope and friendship from people who have passed away to their friends and relatives to help them move on with their lives.

The stories in this volume are all bitter sweet. Tales of lost family, lost friends, and lost love all mingle together and flow nicely to weave a wonderfully touching tale that really works well in manga format.

The manga was based on a series of highly popular light novels released in Japan. I can see why they were so popular! They really do tug the heart strings, but not enough to be overwhelming. Just enough to leave a lasting impression.

Manga News

2009-07-17T11:00:00.003-04:00

Heads up vampire fans; Twilight is coming to a graphic novel near you! Korean artist Young Kim will be working very closely with Twilight scribe Stephanie Meyer to bring Twilight to the graphic novel format. For those out there who haven’t been keeping up with the vampire craze that is sweeping the world, Twilight is about a normal human girl, Bella, who falls in love with an immortal vampire, Edward. Their love has captivated people far and wide, and has spawned three sequels, a movie (and a second on the way), toys, t-shirts, and more.

The graphic novel will follow the original plot of the first novel. And don’t think the art will be just drawings of Kristen Stewart and Rob Pattinson, Bella and Edward from the movie. The art will stay very true to Stephanie Meyer’s original descriptions of Twilight characters. Preview images are currently floating around online, and while no official writer has been named yet, but we’re sure with Stephanie Meyer’s guidance fans will love the final copy!

Shojo Anime News

2009-07-16T17:46:00.003-04:00

Viz has announced today that they will be releasing two shojo anime box sets this September. They will be releasing Nana box set 1 and Honey and Clover box set one. Some shojo anime to look forward to!

Manga Review - Venus Cappricio, vol. 1

2009-07-15T10:06:00.005-04:00

Venus Cappricio, vol. 1
By: Mai Nishikata
North American Publisher: CMX

I'll admit right now I'm completely biased when it comes to this kind of manga. Now that can either be a good thing for the manga, or a bad. If the manga does a good job, is well written, nice art, I'll sing its praises to everyone. But if it's done poorly? I'll tell everyone I can to stay away from it.

Venus Cappricio is definitely the former. I really, really enjoyed the first volume of this series. It's about a seventeen year old girl, Takami, who is a complete tom-boy due to the fact that she was raised with four older brothers. As a little girl her mother forced her to take piano lessons, and she learned with Akira, a boy who was younger than her and a prodigy at playing the piano.

Now that Takami is seventeen and Akira is fourteen, he professes her love for Takami after she gets dumped by yet another boy. Because of her tom-boyish nature, she gets dumped very often, despite the fact that she is stunningly beautiful. Takami isn't sure of how she feels about Akira, because it's hard to look at him as anything but "a little sister."

It's a cute, if not often seen, gender role swap. Takami takes the role of rough young man, while Akira comes across as a delicate young lady. But as the volume progresses, you see both in traditional roles, especially Akira whenever he sees Takami in any kind of trouble.

The plot is a simple one; childhood friends fall for each other. But I love it because it's realistic. Regular slice of life romances are my absolute favorite kind of shojo manga! It's a great story with awesome art. I'm looking forward to reading more.

CMX has a lot of good titles, and I may be alone on this, but I think one thing that they need to look into changing is not the kind of titles they carry, but their visual presentation. The font on their cover pages and sometimes in the in story dialogue is a little juvenile. I understand that they want to set themselves apart from other publishers, but they need to tighten up their cover work to make more people want to at least check out the book.

Shojo News

2009-07-14T13:03:00.000-04:00

Digital Manga Publishing (DMP) announced that they will be working with Amazon Kindle and iPhone to bring you manga on the go. If you have an iPhone you can download DMP and June titles through the Kindle app.

DMP is releasing Vampire Hunter D volumes and some how to draw tutorial books, while the June imprint will be releasing some novels as well as some manga titles as well, including Il Gatto Sul, Love Training, and Party.

So what are your thoughts about reading manga through your Kindle or iphone?

New Releases - July 15th 2009

2009-07-14T10:23:00.003-04:00

There aren't a ton of titles coming out this week after last weeks huge plethora of new books. There are a couple, and a lot of yaoi.

DMP

Angelic Runes, vol. 1
Millennium Prime Minister, vol. 1

Dokidoki

Train Train, vol. 2

June

Ludwig II, vol. 1

Tokyopop

Pet Shop of Horrors Tokyo, vol. 5

Viz

Red River, vol. 26

Manga Review - Honey Hunt, vol. 2

2009-07-13T07:25:00.001-04:00

Honey Hunt, vol.2
By: Miki Aihara
North American Publisher: Shojo Beat

I kept meaning to pick up Honey Hunt, but at the same time I was a little worried about giving it a read since I really didn't care for Aihara's Hot Gimmick series. But I've given Honey Hunt a whirl and I'm really glad I did!

Honey Hunt is about Yura, a third year high school student whose parents are a famous actress and a famous composer. She never sees her parents due to their busy schedules, but in the first chapter her mother returns home to announce her divorce from Yura's father. A series of events sets Yura on a crash course in the acting profession in order to try to win against her spiteful, cold mother.

In the second volume Yura really gets a lesson in how cold and calculating the fame business can be. First she is sabotaged by a costar, and then the one person she feels she can trust breaks an important promise to her. Q-Ta, an attractive young musician is by her side through the whole ordeal, and despite his self-serving intentions, he's really starting to care for her.

One of my biggest complaints with Hot Gimmick was how dumb the protagonist was. She was too submissive and just the things she put up with made me so angry. Yura is naive but not stupid. She is learning quickly and at least attempting to stand up for herself. I think any young girl in her position would act the exact same, and it's a big part of why I'm really enjoying this series at the moment. Her actions and reactions seem real.

I'm very glad I picked this series up. I'll definitely be following along very closely!

Get to Know a (Mostly-Shojo Manga) Blogger

2009-07-11T08:15:00.002-04:00

This month I'm interviewing Lorena from i heart manga, a shojo oriented, but not exclusive, blog. She knows her stuff, and I was really glad to have the chance to find out more about her!

Tell us about yourself and your blog!
"My name is Lorena and I'm a professional online writer and editor. I work at a large public university, where I also attend grad school and teach. I just started my blog, i heart manga, in May 2009. It started as a way to chronicle all the manga I'm reading, as I do a TON of reading. I post one review a day, which may seem daunting to some. But, since it only takes about 30 minutes to an hour for me to get through most manga, even longer volumes, it's actually quite manageable. And, honestly, I should have done this years ago when I first started reading manga! I also blog for MangaCast, occasionally copy edit for ComiPress and will start doing guest reviews at another, soon-to-be-disclosed blog."
What originally got you into manga/anime? What was the first series you can remember feeling really invested in?
"Well, I always loved cartoons growing up, whether it was Disney movies, Scooby Doo or Ren & Stimpy, and read some American comics, too. I live and grew up in San Diego, home of San Diego Comic-Con International, so comics have always been on the periphery for me. Starting my sophomore year of high school, I watched Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z -- both which had just started airing on the then-new Cartoon Network -- after school instead of doing homework. By my senior year, I was hooked on anime and volunteered at Comic-Con with a friend; it was my first time attending. I didn't discover manga until a few years ago, when I got back into comics. By then, manga had become big. I've always been a voracious reader, so I pretty much jumped into manga quickly and eagerly. It's been 10 years now since my first Comic-Con and I've gone every year since, even convincing my non-nerd husband to join me!"
What are you reading right now?
"Ha! I think a better question would be, "What aren't I reading right now?" I'm reading a lot of series right now and have dove into quite a bit of Osamu Tezuka's work lately, including Dororo, Apollo's Song, and Black Jack. Of course, there are the "gateway" manga that I first started reading that are now finishing up, like Fruits Basket, or clipping along, like NANA. The problem is I love reading different genres, so that explains the many series I read and review on my blog. "
What series do you think is really underrated and why?
"Something that I started reading recently that I held off on for so long was Skip Beat! To be honest, I don't like the art and thought the premise was just too goofy. But, I finally checked it out and was so sorry I hadn't gotten into it sooner! Kyoko has so much depth, despite her seeming lack thereof on the surface. And the love triangle she's in is dealt with in such a non-traditional way that I love this series even more. I think a lot of people see this manga and all they see is shojo romance with pretty bishonen, but it's so much more than that and is actually much more funny than it is romantic. I hope more folks give it a chance!"
Character you relate to most and why, and your favorite character. Are they different? Why or why not?
"Well, I have always been called to help others, so I guess the character I've always related to the most is Nausicaa from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. I saw the movie and read the entire manga series a year or so ago and was instantly drawn to her compassion and determination. Right now, my favorite character is probably Tohru from Fruits Basket. I feel like I've seen her grow as a character over the past three years and it's sad to see her go. I really admire her understanding, constant optimism and ability to forgive. Honestly, I think Nausicaa and Tohru would get along quite well, although Tohru always struck me as a little less "street smart" and less aware of others around her than Nausicaa. Whereas Nausicaa intuitively knows what others are feeling, Tohru gets introspective about it and then does more detective-esque work in figuring other people out."
Anything else at all you'd like to include!
"Before we finish, I just want to add a quick story about getting a young girl into manga. My co-worker's 11-year-old daughter loves drawing, but she's a reluctant reader. I loaned a couple of books -- Sugar Sugar Rune and Fruits Basket -- to my co-worker, hoping her tween daughter would do more than just copy the drawings. Thankfully, she did! When my co-worker came to work after a long weekend, she exclaimed she'd never seen her daughter so engrossed in a book! Since Shojo Beat ended, I'm going to give her all of my back issues (two years worth!), so that I can share my love of manga with her (and before anyone asks, yes, her mom is totally fine with her reading "older teen" content). Since I've always been a frequent library user and reader, it's really rewarding for me to inspire the same in others, especially younger readers."

Manga Review - ChocoMimi, vol. 1

2009-07-10T11:32:00.002-04:00

ChocoMimi, vol. 1
By: Konami Sonoda
North American Publisher: Vizkids

When I saw the previews for ChocoMimi I was pretty excited. It looked like a cute, amusing series with lots of pretty pictures. I'll tell you right now that I stopped reading it halfway through and feel a few points dumber after what I did read. Now this book is meant for kids, but frankly I don't think I'd let my kids read this (if I had any).

The story is about Choco and Mimi, two best friends in the eighth grade. They love fashion, boys, and frilly things. Choco is level headed, while Mimi is spoiled rotten and quite possibly a little retarded. Seriously, this girl (Mimi) is a complete self-centered moron. Her little stories make me angry and it's a big part of why I'd never let my kids read this dreck. She gets away with all her stupidity and air headedness, and that's a horrible lesson for little girls. The plot goes nowhere fast, but it's not a book meant for a serious, continuous plot and I get that.

The layout is rather odd. It's a bunch of one page and half page stories. I wouldn't mind this is the stories weren't so annoying, mostly because of Mimi.

The one thing that really made me angry, the mangaka has inserted a ton of images of the two very young girls dressed in frilly lingerie, tarty outfits, and even nude at times. This story is for little girls, and little girls do not need the idea this this way of dressing is "cute".

Seriously, avoid this manga. Not worth your time, money, or effort.

Manga Review - Tokyopop Shojo Sampler

2009-07-09T12:55:00.001-04:00

One of the first things I decided to check out this month was the Tokyopop shojo sampler that came with the final volume of Fruits Basket. Seeing as Fruits Basket was their single best selling shojo manga (and possibly manga overall), they are going to see some serious downturn now that it's finished. So they put out this shojo sampler to entice people to try new things that they are putting out. Mind you, they probably should have included their A material in this sampler, because only ONE of the four sampled titles made me have any real interest.

KimiKiss - Ok first off this is a seinan ecchi, not a shojo. Tokyopop is issuing it as a shojo title. Right... It's based off a dating sim, and I guess since it's a "romance" manga, Tokyopop assumed it's shojo? Cause the girl about to take her top off on the cover says differently. I almost gave up on the sampler after this single section because of how dumb it made me think Tokyopop is.

Bloody Kiss - Interesting premise. A girl inherits a run down mansion, but it turns out there are two hot vampire boys squatting there. The art is nice, but the story is kind of goofy. If you like silly, dark, vampire romances you'll probably like it. It's not my thing though.

V.B. Rose - Now this story really caught my interest. It's about a high school student, Ageha, who is wholly opposed to her sister's upcoming wedding. Ageha's sister brings her to a wedding shop, where she falls in love with the designs and the shop. The art is great, the story seems well paced, and I'll be grabbing more.

Princess Ai: The Prism of Midnight Dawn - Ok, the original concept for this was a collaboration with Courtney Love, so you know it's going to be oh so good. Wait, sarcasm. Yeah, it's just a confused mess, a girl is chained up, some wolf-people are plotting something, and it's all over the place. Not what one should sample to draw in new readers.

All in all, it was a mediocre try from Tokyopop. Only two titles were really readable, and of those two only one drew my interest. I'll be picking up V.B. Rose for sure, but the rest I have no interest in.

Manga Review - Kitchen Princess, vol. 10 (Final Volume)

2009-07-08T19:45:00.004-04:00

Kitchen Princess, vol. 10
By: Andou Natsumi & Kobayashi Miyuki
North American Publisher: Del Rey

The final volume of Kitchen Princess is finally here and boy was I excited for it. It was the first thing I read this week, and I couldn't put it down. Ok, I had to since I was at work and had other things to do besides read manga. But still!

Anyway, this final volume wraps up the story quite nicely. It doesn't seem too rushed or haphazard like some manga finales can be. I don't want to reveal too much, but I will tell you that Najika does encounter a fair bit of drama through this volume. She professes her love for one person, another professes his love to her, she flies off to Paris, and Daichi and his father are forced to talk to each other. A couple things of note - possibly the most beautiful food I've ever seen in this manga is revealed, and it might not be Najika's work, and finally yes, she does discover her flan prince at last!

There is a lot going on very quickly, but it does work for the story. And after the main story there is a cute bonus tale focusing on Akane, which was nice. This story really is a feel good read. Yes, it did get a little bleak there near the end, especially volumes eight and nine, as well as a portion of this one. But the ending leaves a sugary sweet taste behind.

News - Shojo Anime

2009-07-08T08:18:00.007-04:00

Viz announced this morning that they will be releasing Nana season 1 on itunes for download. In their press release today they announced their exclusive partnership with itunes.

"More news from VIZ Media!

VIZ Media announced today that the popular shojo animated series NANA is now available on the iTunes Store AT www.itunes.com/tv/nana.
NANA will be exclusive to iTunes until August 31, 2009. (Plus, every purchase of a NANA Season 1 pass will include a free, bonus episode download.)"

Hmmm depending on price it might be worth it.

News - Non-Shojo

2009-07-07T20:30:00.001-04:00

Now, I know this is a shojo/josei blog, but I figured this news was too interesting not to share. Starting in January of 2010 Viz has announced that they will be starting an accelerated release schedule for One Piece. From January 2010 to June 2010 Viz will release FIVE volumes of One Piece each month.

I'm sure many of you are fans of Naruto and noticed that Viz did this with Naruto as well, releasing four volumes for I believe three months during the fall/winter of 2009. These volumes sold exceptionally well, but there was a lot of grumbling from people who weren't a big fan of spending $40 all at once to get the new volumes, but at the same time they were pleased to not have to wait for new volumes.

Five volumes a month is very ambitious of Viz. That's thirty volumes that will be released in six months. That's $300. But again, you don't have to wait for your manga.

Now Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece are Viz's biggest money makers and are also very long running series. This accelerated schedule worked for Naruto, and One Piece is their next try. Do you think we'll be seeing more of this? Are there any titles you'd like to see accelerated? Your thoughts in general?

New Releases - July 7, 2009

2009-07-06T15:30:00.000-04:00

Oh the second Wednesday of the month. Full of new shojo releases! Mostly from Shojo Beat, but I'm not complaining!

Del Rey

Kitchen Princess, vol. 10

Dokidoki

Color

Shojo Beat (Viz)

Captive Hearts, vol. 5
ChocoMimi, vol. 1
High School Debut, vol. 10
Honey Hunt, vol. 2
Love Com, vol. 13
Nana, vol. 17
S.A., vol. 11
We Were There, vol. 5

Tokyopop

Fruits Basket, vol. 23
Gakuen Alice, vol. 8
NG Life, vol. 2

Scanlation Review - Fly High

2009-07-03T17:35:00.006-04:00

Fly High
By: Oouchi Natsumi
Scanlated By: StarryHeaven

Fly High is your stereotypical tough student must work hard to rid the school of the mean bullies that control both the students and the teachers. Despite its cliched plot, the story is pretty enjoyable. The story circles around Meru Tachibana, a twelve year-old girl who has been away training with her father in martial arts around the world. Upon her return, her mother gives her a feminine makeover and makes Meru promise that she will work hard at her new junior high school to act feminine and sweet. Meru's mom doesn't want her daughter to end up friendless with the nickname "Monster Melt King" (what?)

Of course, upon her first day at school she meets the trio of students who run the school. A wily girl, a strong boy, and a super smart boy. Together they intimidate all the other students and teachers into following their orders. When they cause the destruction of Meru's new friend Chiyo's garden, Meru decides someone needs to stand up to these bullies. She becomes student council president, which of course draws the attention of the bullies. Now she is ostracized from the other students, and only left with Chiyo and the strange foreign boy, Ruka, as possible allies.

Like I said, Fly High is pretty cliched in its plot. But the story is well executed and very engaging. And the art is fantastic. It suits the story, isn't too jumbled as this style of manga is. StarryHeaven has done a really good job of scanlating though. The English makes sense, without being too anglosized. Plus, you can read it on onemanga.com so you don't need to download it. Definitely a plus in my books! Give it a try for something light and fun.

New Releases - July 1, 2009

2009-06-30T13:03:00.002-04:00

First off for Canadians like myself, new stuff probably wont be in shops until the second. Oh well, I guess we can wait right? I don't want to, but I will!

Here are your new releases this week. CMX definitely has some jems spread out for release throughout July, so keep your eyes peeled for them

CMX

Emma, vol. 9 (technically listed as Seinan, but definitely something women will love)

Again, it's a pretty small week for manga. And doing this weekly list of new releases has me thinking about how some sites (Viz, CMX) make finding their new releases very easy to find and read, while others (Tokyopop, Yen Press) make it much much harder. Do you find listing a release schedule online to be an important part of any manga publisher's website? Or do you not care? Share your thoughts in the comments and vote in the poll!

poll by twiigs.com

Manga Review - Wallflower, vol. 20

2009-06-28T19:22:00.002-04:00

Wallflower, vol. 20
By: Tomoko Hayakawa
North American Publisher: Del Rey

Wallflower is one of my favorite series, it's got great art and a great story.Unfortunately the story is rather stagnant. I stopped reading at book volume thirteen and picked up volume twenty when it came out this week. In no way was I lost or did I feel like I was missing something because I had skipped seven whole volumes.

The story is entertaining though! Sunako, our lovely morbid heroine, meets the prince of a small European country. He truly is a man after her own heart. He loves morbid things like skeletons. Heck he looks like a skeleton. Sunako is so distracted by trying to learn to bake European style breads that she almost ends up marrying him. From that point on, the prince will stop at almost nothing to try to win her heart, but Sunako belongs only to herself.

The art, as always is fabulous. The costumes are great, and there are few shojo heroines as beautiful as Sunako. Sadly, you rarely see her in her "beautiful" form; she is always in her chibi form. It gets pretty old. The stories in Wallflower are entertaining, but the plot and character development are way, way too slow!

Manga Review - Gakuen Prince, vol. 2

2009-06-27T18:32:00.002-04:00

Gakuen Prince, vol. 2
By: Jun Yuzuki
North American Publisher: Del Rey

I reviewed volume one of Gakuen Prince when it came out a few months ago, and was very excited for the release of volume two. I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed. When I read the back of this volume I was kind of worried.

Gakuen Prince is about an all girls school that recently went co-ed. Because the girls outnumber the boys so greatly, the boys are at the mercy of the sexually charges female student body. The new student, Azusa, pretends to date the homely Rise in order to keep the other girls from attacking him. In this volume they agree to take part in the elaborate Fiancailles ceremony, a fake wedding. This is so that Azusa might finally be left alone by the girls, and they just might stop bullying Rise, whose only desire is to be left alone. I thought this was possibly one of the corniest things I'd ever read in a manga, but somehow it works for the story.

There is some tension brewing between Rise and another female student over Azusa, and between Azusa and one of the other guys over Rise. While still claiming their relationship is fake to each other, it's obvious to tell these two new outsiders will help to push the two of them together.

This story is pretty dirty, with a liberal use of the f-bomb, so it's definitely a "viewer discretion is advised" title. Please keep that in mind when you go to pick it up. It's pretty funny, and unlike most manga of this general genre, the second volume is in no way a repeat of volume one. Definitely a funny, well written smut-fest.

Previews for September, 2009

2009-06-26T14:59:00.009-04:00

July's previews is out, which means you can see what's being solicited for September (and some October) releases. Before we even get started I'm upset to say the shojo pickings are slim slim slim, but I do need to say that the shonen selection isn't much better.

MANGA VOLUMES

CMX (advance for October, 2009)

Apothecaruius Argentum, vol. 8
The Ballad of a Shinigami, vol. 2
I Hate You More Than Anyone, vol. 8
Oh! My Brother, vol. 1
Two Flowers for the Dragon, vol. 5

Digital Manga

Boy's Love, one-shot
Happy Boys, vol. 1
Kurashina Sensei's Passion, vol. 1
La Satanica, one-shot (18+)
Ludwig II, vol. 2
Reversible, vol. 1
Selfish Mr. Mermaid, vol. 2 (18+)

Del Rey

Gakuen Prince, vol. 3
Orange Planet, vol. 2
Shugo Chara!, vol. 7
Wallflower, vol. 21

Dr. Master Publications Inc

Divine Melody, vol. 5

Tokyopop

Gakuen Alice, vol. 9
Karakuri Odette, vol. 1
Replay, vol. 3
V.B. Rose, vol. 6
Vampire Doll: Guilt-Na-Zan, vol. 6

Viz/Shojo Beat (advance for October, 2009)

Baby & Me, vol. 16
Boys Over Flowers: Jewelry Box
The Gentlemen's Alliance, vol. 10
Kimi ni Todoke, vol. 2
La Corda d'Oro, vol. 11
The Magic Touch, vol. 4
Red River, vol. 27
Skip Beat, vol. 19
Wild Ones, vol. 8

Yen Press

Tale of the Waning Moon, vol. 1

BOOKS

Otaku Encyclopedia: An Insider's Guide to the Subculture of Cool Japan, softcover
Rough Guide to Manga, softcover
Shoujo Art Studio, hardcover

FIGURES

Ame-Comi Heroine Seires: Robin PVC Figure
My Little Pony: Junko Mizuno Pony
Naruto 6" Naruto and Deidara figures
Pinky Street Figures #22, #23, #24

So I said slim. Ok, for some publishers (Del Rey, CMX) there are actually a fair number of shojo titles, compared to their usual output. But look at Shojo Beat. I know it's still a lot compared to other publishers, but all that imprint does is shojo! There should be more titles there, in my opinion.

As for the figures, that Robin figure is pretty awesome. Ame-Comi has been making quite a few anime styled DC female figures, and they are huge sellers. Very well done pieces. Kotobukiya is doing the same with Marvel heroines as well.

I may just have to buy that my little pony....

ICv2 Insider's Guide

2009-06-24T17:41:00.003-04:00

ICv2 is a retailer's newsletter pertaining to the world of anime and manga, and to a lesser extent, comics. So I figured I would provide a run down of some of the articles and information for everyone.

Firstly, what we've all assumed and known, anime sales are down. From 2007 to 2008 sales fell about 11%, which isn't too bad considering all DVD sales fell by about 8%. The biggest holder of sales in anime DVDs was by Funimation, with a fairly close second by Viz.

A large part of why anime/manga insiders believe that manga sales fell by 17% in 2008 is because of the loss of purchasing power by women in North America, especially among older readers. This figure is actually pretty strange, considering graphic novel sales for adults rose in 2008. A good rason for this is that manga publishers in North America have yet to find a strong footing with older women; josei readers. Few titles have been able to stand out, namely Nana and Hot Gimmick.

There is an interest list on the anime shows that air in North American (namely USA) channels. Out of eleven channels and twenty-nine titles, none are shojo.

Another list has to do with new manga titles coming out this coming fall. Thankfully there is an actually fair ration of shojo titles on the list! The following titles are on their list, with the publisher, age grouping, and what place they fall on the list. The list was out of twenty titles. Of course, number one was a shonen title, Yu-Gi-Oh R, but who is surprised?

Karakuri Odette - Tokyo Pop - 13+ (8)
Four-Eyed Prince - Del Rey - 13+ (9)
Mad Love Chase - Tokyopop - 16+ (11)
Boys Over Flowers: Jewelry Box - Viz Media - 13+ (15)
Oh! My Brother - CMX - 16+ (17)
A Tale of an Unknown Country - CMX - 13+ (18)

The last page is a series of GASP more lists. First was a list of the top 25 manga properties in the spring of 2009. Amazingly enough the top two and three spots were filled by shojo titles, Fruits Basket and Vampire Knight, respectively. Gentleman' Alliance came in at thirteen, and Otomen at seventeen. Of the shojo titles on the list, all belonged to Viz, save for two from Tokyopop, and lastly one from Del Rey.

Lastly there is a list of the top ten shojo properties of spring 2009.

Fruits Basket - Tokyopop
Vampire Knight - Viz Media
Gentleman's Alliance - Viz Media
Shugo Chara - Del Rey
Otomen - Viz Media
Skip Beat - Viz Media
Captive Hearts - Viz Media
Phantom Dream - Tokyopop
The Wallflower - Del Rey
Kitchen Princess - Del Rey

New Releases - June 24, 2009

2009-06-23T16:33:00.003-04:00

Looks like Del Rey has a whole slue of new releases for us this week! Can I get a hooray! Yeah out of all of them there are still not many shojo, but the ones being released are all great.

Gakuen Prince, vol. 2
My Heavenly Hockey Club, vol. 8
Wallflower, vol. 20

Get out there and try Gakuen Prince, it's one of the funniest series I've read in a while.

Shojo Beat Final Issue Review

2009-06-17T14:57:00.003-04:00

I know this is delayed, but my copy of Shojo Beat only showed up today, so you'll have to understand why I didn't write this a while ago...

First off, I'd like to talk about Black Bird, the manga by Kanoko Sakurakoji that is previewed in this issue of Shojo Beat. This is a deliciously dark shojo that I think has a lot of potential. The story is of the very over done 'girl can see spirits' genre, but I think that Black Bird will be something a lot different. Misao, the main character seems interesting. She is a very special human, one that is born every 100 years whose purpose is to be fodder for demons. And Kyo, the demon from her childhood that wants to marry her, which will give his demon clan more strength. There are some very interesting twists and turns, and if this first chapter is any indication, it looks like it will be a great series!

Next on the actual manga chapters front, I need to mention the art from Vampire Knight, both the Shojo Beat cover and the opening page for the manga chapter. I have only read the first couple volumes of this manga, but dang this art is very sexy and passionate. It's all in the eye contact I must say. Excellent to look at.

There is some really cute style stuff in this issue. Really, in comparison to the travel stuff this issue really deserves to be called the "Fashion Issue." There's a cosplay section, a Q&A with some fashion professionals and students, some how to's, and lots more. They even feature one of my favorite nail polishes, OPI's Suzi Sells Sushi by the Seashore. You might not know this, but I'm a polish fanatic, so this blurb really caught my eye.

There are a couple travel articles, including a guide to Tokyo, but I really liked the feature on Japanese style gardens in North America. Great lush images to take a look at, so make sure you take a peek.

Lastly, I must agree with others who have said there is very little indication that this is the last Shojo Beat magazine issue. Although there is a strong focus on manga volumes. One thing I noticed that on the final page that showcases all of Shojo Beat's titles, one are two are missing, namely one of my very favorites, Nana. Hmmmm....

New Releases - June 17, 2009

2009-06-16T17:54:00.003-04:00

Here are your new releases! Slim pickings, but hey, only a short wait before the next big shipment goes through!

Viz

Fushigi Yugi, vol. 2 VizBig Edition

Next week is a big week from Del Rey though, so that's something to look forward to!

News Update

2009-06-15T12:02:00.003-04:00

It's been reported in Zhejiang Daily newspaper that a Hello Kitty themed amusement parked is planned for the city of Huzhou, a city on the east coast of China. It's estimated that the plot of land the park will be on is 328 acres large, which is larger than the original Disney Theme Park. The park will feature state of the art rides, games, and videos, as as well as carrying Hello Kitty themed merchandise. source
Kimi ni Todoke (From Me to You) will return after a hiatus in Japan because the mangaka took a break to have a baby! No word on how this will affect the North American releases of the Kimi ni Todoke, which was recently picked up by Viz's line Shojo Beat. source
Del Rey has picked up another of Natsumi Ando's (Kitchen Princess, Othello) works. This one is called Wild @ Heart and is about a young girl helping raise a feral child her father discover. source

Manga Review - Rasetsu, vol. 1

2009-06-12T19:09:00.004-04:00

Rasetsu, vol. 1
By: Chika Shiomi
North American Publisher: Shojo Beat

Rasetsu is the sequel to Yurara, which is honestly a story I didn't care for much. But sounded interesting, so I picked it up. I definitely liked it a lot more than Yurara.

Rasetsu is a professional exorcist. She works with her partner Kuryu (who has some pretty strong, if rarely seen, powers of his own) around Tokyo. In the first chapter they get a client, Yako, who may seem familiar if you read Yurara, he was one of the leads in that, who immediately recognizes Rasetsu, thinking she is the spirit that guarded over Yurara. This isn't the case, but it seems this topic wont just be a coincidence!

Rasetsu has some dark secrets herself. When she was fifteen a demon attacked her and claimed her as his own, branding her chest and saying he would return for her when she turned twenty unless she found true love. Of course to me it seems pretty obvious she and Yako are going to fall in love right before she turns twenty, it seems to perfect not to happen.

Now, don't be scared away because it's a sequel. The story is pretty independent from Yurara, save a recuring character. Oh... and Rasetsu looks like Yurara's guardian spirit that the recurring character is in love with. Other than that it's really a story all it's own at this point. I jumped into it after reading only one volume of Yurara at least a year ago.

Rasetsu is definitely worth giving a read. The protagonist is funny, and the relationships work well together. The story is fast paced and very enjoyable.

Get to know a [shojo] blogger

2009-06-11T13:19:00.004-04:00

This is a new piece I'd like to focus on once a month. I love reading shojo/manga/anime blogs, as well as all sorts of other blogs as well. And once a month I'm going to try to interview a blogger to give you a taste of who they are, what they do, and hopefully have you want to check out their blog as well!

This week I'll be interviewing Laura from Heart of Manga!

Question 1. Tell us about yourself and your blog!

"I'm a certified teacher, who minored in English in college. I have a passion for art, writing, and Japanese culture. Obviously, that's what draws me to manga. I read manga as a hobby and at times find it difficult to discover new titles that are a decent read. This is what inspired me to start blogging. My blog provides honest reviews of manga I've read, as well as some fun little features for those who enjoy reading shojo manga."

Question 2.a. What originally got you into manga/anime?

"I originally got into anime due to video games. I think with one edition of .hack, there was an anime short that came with the game. It was my introduction to anime. I got hooked when what used to be TechTV had their anime block on some evenings."

Question 2.b. What was the first series you can remember feeling really invested in?

My first anime that I connected with was "Crest of the Stars". The chemistry between Jinto and Lafiel as well as the sci-fi setting, had me watching every episode. In my blog profile I describe that it was the anime series "His and Hers Circumstances" that hooked me into manga, because the anime left out tons of story. I ended up reading all of "Kare Kano", and started looking for similar titles.

Question 3. What series do you think is really underrated and why?

I've not seen a lot of Tokyopop advertising, which may be why I hadn't heard of "Shinobi Life" until I came across it on someone's reading list on Amazon. I think the story is sweet and the artwork is well done. Not a very well known title, but it certainly should get more attention.

Question 4. How many manga/anime series do you regularly follow?

I'll say that I follow more than ten titles at this point. All of the current shojo beat titles, Kitchen Princess, Bride of the Water God, Skip Beat, Special A, Love Com, Fruits Basket, High School Debut, Gentleman's Alliance Cross, Nodame Cantabile, Red River, Ichigo 100%, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, Xxxholic, Suzuka....how many is that? gosh...that's like over 20 different titles...and I'm sure I've forgotten some...

Question 5. Character you relate to most and why, and your favorite character. Are they different? Why or why not?

I guess the character I most relate to is Mizuki Ashiya from Hana-Kimi. Not that I've ever cross dressed and pretended to be a guy, but I did have mostly guy friendships in high school. Guys are so less petty and bluntly honest. And I know in high school when I was sweet on a guy, I followed him and cheered him on, like Mizuki did for Sano. My favorite character is Syaoran from Card Captor Sakura. He's such a sweet hero. I think it's awesome to see him as an adult in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. Yes, they're different; I think I just like guys better than girls.

If you'd like to be interviewed about your blog, please let me know! I'd be happy to hear from you :)

New Releases - June 10, 2009

2009-06-09T15:26:00.003-04:00

Wow shojo fans, another week of just about zero shojo releases! So this week I'm going to focus on other new graphic novel/comic releases that would appeal to shojo fans this week!

1. Runaways: Dead Wrong tpb (graphic novel) - Marvel

What would happen if you found out your parents were evil? And I mean EVIL, not just grounding you for something silly evil. Well, this series from Marvel explores just that, with a group of kids who run away from home when they discover that their parents are all super villains. This graphic novel collects the first six issues of the third volume of the series that was created by Lost writer Brian K. Vaughn and is a must read series. Try this graphic novel and then get the rest! You won't be able to put it down.

2. Fables #85 (comic book) - Vertigo

Fables is a great series with some amazing art. The story is this - imagine a reality where fairy tale characters were real. Like Snow White, Cinderella, Jack (as in B. Nimble, and the beanstalk), and many more from fables around the globe. They all hold real jobs, live real lives, but are still the same characters you've heard of, with the same personalities. Now this sounds like light fluff, but really it's a great drama and can be very, very dark.

3. Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #2 (comic book) - Marvel

Now THIS series is all about fun fluff. Some of the most popular Marvel animal sidekicks team up to help save the world. Not only is it super cute, hilarious, and a ton of fun, but Bo Obama, President Obama's dog, will be making an appearance in the third issue!

So here are just three things you can pick up this week instead of manga if your local comic book shop is short on some of your favorite series this week. Always a fun read!

Shojo Contest

2009-06-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

On one of the many shojo related internet groups that I follow, shojobeat over at livejournal.com, I saw a recent post regarding an online contest that might be of interest to everyone here!

rightstuf.com, a supplier and publisher (Nozomi Entertainment), a long time advertiser in Shojo Beat magazine, is holding a shojo related contest at the moment. All you need to do is let them know a few things about what you like in regards to manga, and then share some opinions on how they might make themselves a better service to shojo lovers! Seems pretty fair to me.

They've also opened up a shojo 'mini-site' within their website, which you can view here. It's got a bit of a rundown on interesting shojo titles available, as well as some merchandise people might be interested in.

Definitely worth taking a peek!

(I already filled out my survey! And the black Mokona plushy on the mini-site? Yeah, I have that!)

Scanlation Review - Sailor Fuku ni Onegai

2009-06-05T08:13:00.001-04:00

Sailor Fuku ni Onegai
by: Tanaka Meca
scanlated by: Yatta Scans (chapters 1-2),
Kyon Pyon (chapters 3+)

I was really, really excited to read this series. Kyon Pyon is a forum scanlation site, so I went through the mandatory joining and posting fifteen times just to read this series. I'll tell you right off the bat I was disappointed.

The story has a great set up. One day Hina is playing softball at her high school and she hits a ball into a neighbouring shrine. The shrine is hit by the ball and is broken! When Hina goes to investigate, the shrine's object, a mirror, enters her body. Until she fixes the shrine, she will now be the substitute shrine god. Two dog gods, Shishi and Koma are assigned to protect her until the shrine is repaired. Because Hina is an orphan living on her own, she has very little money and the repairs are going to take a long time.

Sailor Fuku ni Onegai is by the same mangaka as Faster Than a Kiss, something I realized AFTER I read the first volume. I reviewed that manga a little while ago. I found both mangas amusing and annoying for different reasons. In Faster Than a Kiss, the main problem was repetitiveness in the plot. In Sailor Fuku ni Onegai there isn't repetitiveness, mostly because the story is so all over the place! The art is fantastic, really great, and the concept is interesting. But after the first volume I kind of shook my head and went "wait, what?" Like I said, the storyline is just all over the place. Very random, jumbled story telling.

I don't know if this story alone is worth joining Kyon Pyon's forum and doing the 15 posts things. They do have some other titles up that look interesting, but don't join for Sailor Fuku ni Onegai alone.

Manga Review - Mixed Vegetables, vol. 4

2009-06-04T07:56:00.002-04:00

Mixed Vegetables, vol. 4
By: Ayumi Komura
North American Publisher: Shojo Beat

I was starting to lose interest in this manga very quickly when I first started reading it. One of my guilty pleasures is cooking manga; I absolutely love to read all sorts of manga about cooking and food! So when I first heard about this shojo a while ago, I was very, very excited. After the second volume I almost didn't pick up the third. Now though, I'm really glad I stuck with it.

Volume four really is the best of the series so far. The characters are becoming a lot more relatable, and the story lines are not as jumbled as they were at first. Overall, things are a lot more enjoyable.

For those who haven't read Mixed Vegetables yet, the story is about two students, Hanayu, and Hayato. Hanayu is a young girl who dreams of being a sushi chef, but is afraid her father will deny his request in order to follow in his footsteps of being a pastry chef. Hayato is her classmate, and in a similar situation. He longs of being a pastry chef, but comes from a long line of sushi chefs.

In this volume, we finally find out why Hayato longs to be a pastry chef, and also get to see behind Hanayu and Hayato's sensei's tough exterior. The different chapters flow so well together, and in the end a revelation is made that really gives you hope for both Hayato and Hanayu. Will Hanayu finally reveal her true feelings to Hayato after learning this new bit of information? Or will it cause her to hold her tongue even more?

I'm looking forward to volume five. If it improves even more than volume four I'd definitely say it's a series worth picking up. Right now? It's worth a read during those slow weeks. But it is improving, now might be a good point to jump on!

Manga Review - St. Dragon Girl, vol. 3

2009-06-03T18:59:00.003-04:00

St. Dragon Girl, vol. 3
By: Natsumi Matsumoto
North American Publisher: Shojo Beat

I'll be honest, this isn't a title I've read before. After reading Fushigi Yugi, Card Captor Sakura, and a host of other titles that involve a lot of Chinese mythology, imagery, and magic, I was kind of bored of the style. I decided to pick this one up because of the really beautiful, if not a little busy, cover art.

I'm really glad I did, because it wasn't what I was expecting at all! The story is set in modern day Japan, and is about a group of friends, each with their own unique powers and skills. The main character, Momoka, is a martial artist with a dragon sealed inside of her. The boy that accidentally put the dragon there, Ryuga, has control over magic. Ryuga's sister, Shuran, is psychic. All three of them can see ghosts, demons, and other spirits.

All of the chapters in this volume are self contained, which is nice, but there are few overwriting themes, save a hilarious minor subplot involving some really cute panda undies. It's good, because you can pick it up without really knowing any of the back story and enjoy it, but at the same time, it doesn't leave an overwhelming sense of "I need to get the next volume!"

It is a rather cute, funny, and at times touching story. The relationship between Ryugo and Momoko is hilarious and has great awkward romance moments. The art, by the way, is fantastic. A great fantasy set in modern times. Even though the story doesn't force one to want to read the next book, because it's such an enjoyable read, I probably will!

July 09 Shojo Beat Preview (final issue)

2009-06-03T08:40:00.000-04:00

So the preview of Shojo Beat's final issue has gone out in their email newsletter. The theme of the issue is "travel". The preview says,

"Take a trip into the wonderful world of shojo manga! Shojo Beat's travel issue will take you to many new and exciting places, from capsule hotels in Tokyo to Japanese-inspired gardens in the U.S. ...All this plus the regular sections you've come to love and expect. Manga, Cooking, Fashion & Beauty, in the latest SB!"

The final issue will have a preview of the new manga Black Bird, about a girl who can see the spirit world, but tries to ignore it in order to lead a normal high school life.

The other titles set to appear are:

Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time
Honey and Clover
Sand Chronicles
Vampire Knight
Crimson Hero
Honey Hunt

There will also be a reader survey in the July issue, and the prize will be a copy of Romeo X Juliet and a Shojo Beat goodie bag full of prizes!

New Releases - June 3, 2009

2009-06-02T08:33:00.000-04:00

Here are our new releases for this week! Not a huge lot, but still pretty good :)

CMX

Ballad of a Shinigami, vol. 1
Moon Child, vol. 13

Shojo Beat/Viz

Baby and Me, vol. 14
Honey and Clover, vol. 6
Mixed Vegetables, vol. 4
Monkey High, vol. 6
Ouran High School Host Club, vol. 12
Rasetsu, vol. 1
St. Dragon Girl, vol. 3
Tail of the Moon Prequel: The Other Hanzo
The Magic Touch, vol. 2
Wild Ones, vol. 7

Looks like Viz is the only one with an assortment coming out this week.

poll

2009-06-01T16:25:00.000-04:00

With the folding of Shojo Beat magazine, I was just wondering how many people still collected manga magazines of that style

poll by twiigs.com

Previews for August, 2009

2009-05-31T15:46:00.004-04:00

Previews came out this week, so here is a sneak peek at the manga coming out in August

CMX (Advance solicitations for September, 2009)

A Tale of an Unknown Country, vol. 1
The Lapis Lazuli Crown, vol. 2
The Palette of 12 Secret Colors, vol. 6 (final volume)
Venus in Love, vol. 7

Del Rey

Four-Eyed Prince, vol. 1
Minima, vol. 4

TokyoPop

Domo
Mad Love Chase, vol. 1
Me and My Brothers, vol. 9

Shojo Beat (advance solicitations for September, 2009)

Fushigi Yugi, vol. 3 (VizBig edition)
High School Debut, vol. 11
Honey and Clover, vol. 7
Hot Gimmick, vol. 3 (VizBig edition)
Love Com, vol. 14
Mixed Vegetables, vol. 5
Monkey High, vol. 7
Nana, vol. 18
Rasetsu, vol. 2
SA, vol. 12
Sand Chronicles, vol. 6
St. Dragon Girl, vol. 4
We Were There, vol. 6

Yen Press

Pig Bride, vol. 2
Sugarholic, vol. 1

Ok, first off TokyoPop's Domo manga is not technically shojo, but I couldn't not include it on the list. I'm definitely picking this one up!

Sad to say, it looks like a pretty bare bones month. Viz has its typical amount of shojo titles, but everyone else seems to be only releasing a couple of shojo titles. Del Rey has a plethora of shounen comics coming out, but only a couple shojo. Same with TokyoPop. Hopefully Shojo Beat magazine's folding isn't a sign of things to come.

Scanlation Review - Seigi no Mikata

2009-05-28T09:29:00.003-04:00

Seigi no Mikata
by: Hijiri Chiaki
scanlated by: MangaArt

Seigi no Mikata translates to Ally of Justice, which when you read the first chapter of the manga you think "uh, this makes no sense!" but just keep at it. The story revolves around Youko's evil older sister Sumiko. Sumiko is a 24 year old career woman who still lives at home with Youko and their parents. While the story is all about Sumiko, it's mostly told from Youko's perspective, at least in the first volume.

Sumiko, from her first appearance, is a beautiful woman, but a huge bully. She plots against anyone she think might be trying to cross her, annoys her, or she just has nothing better to do. She sabotages people, calls police giving fake reports on people, and ruins her sister's relationships and plans.

Sounds pretty typical of a villain right? Well, what if the villain Sumiko is actually a hero, and Ally of Justice? You see, with every evil deed Sumiko does, the outcome is always positive. She ends up breaking up Youko and her new boyfriend within the first 5 pages of the manga, but later we find out that Youko's boyfriend had recently gotten another girl pregnant, and slept around a lot. Sumiko calls the cops with a fake report on a man who cut her off in line at a convenience store. He's arrested, and it turns out he is a serial arsonist!

Every evil deed turns around and Sumiko becomes a town hero. She ends up marrying a successful business man at the government branch she works for, which for Youko means freedom from her mean sister, but for Youko the trouble is just beginning, because now she also has to try to keep Sumiko's husband from seeing Sumiko's true nature so he won't leave her (which would cause Sumiko to move home again).

This manga is HILARIOUS. Every time Sumiko does something, I am eagerly awaiting the end results. And poor Youko's reactions? Beyond hilarious.

The only problem? Super slow release times? MangaArt is releasing this one slowly shojo fans. Which is sad, it's a real gem. Hopefully with more people reading it, more will be released!

Sigh

2009-05-26T14:01:00.002-04:00

Usually I do a 'new releases' blog, but there is just about nothing coming out this week.

So let's discuss - how do you feel about manga, and comics in general, all being released the same week. It's not just manga (generally the first week of the month) but comic books as well. The first and last weeks of a month have all the biggest titles in comics come out, while the middle weeks are kind of the filler.

Do you like having everything come out at once? Or would you prefer more balance?

Also, post some suggestions of older books to check out during weeks with no good releases!

Manga Review - Kimi ni Todoke (From Me to You), chapter 0

2009-05-23T13:28:00.006-04:00

Kimi ni Todoke (From Me to You)
By: Karuho Shiina
North American Publisher: Shojo Beat (Viz)

In the June 2009 edition of Shojo Beat magazine (the second to last issue) there is a preview of one of Viz's recently licensed manga, Kimi ni Todoke. The preview chapter really draws you in; makes you want to read more.

The story is about Sawako, known to her classmates as Sadako (the evil girl from the Ringu movies). Because of her long dark hair, pale skin, and shy demenor, her classmates think she really is an evil ghost summoner.

This couldn't be farther from the truth. Sawako is actually sweet, considerate, and likes to help other. Only one person in her class sees her for who she really is, Kazehaya, a popular boy. He tries to get her involved with the other students, and tells her how he admires her. Already Sawako is coming out of her shell, but Kazehaya seems to have some underlying issues of his own.

The first volume comes out in July, 2009 and I'll certainly be picking it up. It seems like a really promising series.

Review - Clover Omnibus (Dark Horse)

2009-05-22T13:00:00.008-04:00

Clover Omnibus
by: Clamp
North American Publisher: Dark Horse

I'd been dying to read the rest of Clamp's great work Clover since I read the first volume in the Virgin Megastore in Disney World eight years ago (this is also where I picked up about 40% of my Sailor Moon manga collection, including all of Stars). Yes, my souvenirs from Disney World were manga. Shush.

Anyway, Dark Horse put out this great omnibus that seems to appeared on the shelves, at least in Canada, a month early! No complaints here. I read it as soon as I got home and was left feeling... well... I can't put my finger on it to be honest. This is one of the most out there manga I've ever read. And I mean that in terms of style, storytelling, sequence, art, flow. Everything.

For those who have never had a chance to hear about Clover, here is the gist. In a baroque-esque future, children with magical powers are identified as Clovers. One leaf Clovers have little power, two leaf have moderate power, three leaf have strong powers (and only three exist), and there is one four leaf Clover, Sue, who is considered so powerful she is kept isolated her whole life. She wishes to see Fairy Park, an amusement park she has heard about from her only friend who she has never met. Kazuhiko, a retired army officer, is employed to take her there. As the story unfolds, we see they have much in common.

The story is obviously unfinished. You're left wondering what has happened. The first half of the story ends the tale of Sue and Kazuhiko, but the second half fills in a lot of what happened before they even met.

Dark Horse has done a great job at bringing this story to the North American audience. Some of the names seem to be slightly changed according to scanlations and reviews of the Japanese version, but the story moves well and seems to be pretty accurate to the original.

I'll definitely have to read this one a few more times to be able to take everything in. Grab this one while you can!

Confirmed - Shojo Beat's last issue will be July, 2009

2009-05-19T22:46:00.001-04:00

Viz released a statement today concerning the end of the Shojo Beat magazine:

"The final issue of Shojo Beat magazine will be the July 2009 issue which is on newsstands June 16th.

We are very proud of the past issues of Shojo Beat magazine and the efforts of the entire team. The magazine developed quite a fan base but unfortunately in today's difficult economic climate we felt the need to place our resources elsewhere at this time.

Of course all of our great shojo manga titles previously serialized in Shojo BeatShojo Beat magazine will still be published and available as graphic novels under the imprint from VIZ Media.

Each Shojo Beat Subscriber will be receiving a free copy of the August issue of
SHONEN JUMP magazine with the pertinent information on what their subscription/refund options will be."

source

Sad News

2009-05-19T11:09:00.002-04:00

It's been brought to my attention that Shojo Beat magazine will be ending its publication with the July 2009 issue. They haven't been accepting subscriptions for a while it sounds, and when I tried to send their customer service a message, the links were all broken.

From the rumours on the internet, Viz will be replacing subscriber's following issues with Shonen Jump until their subscriptions run out. Now, I don't know about you, but this would cheese me right off. I'd rather my money back.

But I could see this happening. Sales of the magazine in stores are way down, and subscriptions are dropping off.

source 1 and 2

Manga News

2009-05-17T15:02:00.002-04:00

Toei Animation will be releasing a new theatrical film, Fresh Precure! which is a magical girl shojo. It looks like your typical magical girl fodder, but the animation is by Toei, who did my all time favorite, Sailor Moon, so I'd watch it just for that. It's due for release in December, 2009. source
The NY Times's manga best seller's list for May 9th included three shojo manga, Skip Beat! vol. 18, Fruits Basket vol. 22, and Otomen vol. 2 were in 8th, 9th, and 10th places respectively. source

Poll results

2009-05-16T23:58:00.000-04:00

First of all the monthly poll stated that 29% of people would love to see an anime of Otomen, while second place went to Koukou Debut at 25%. I was a little surprised since Otomen only has two volumes out right now, but maybe some of us jumped on the scanlation a while ago?

Secondly, there was overwhelming support for news updates on this page about shojo specifically, fantastic!

And lastly - did anyone make it to the Fruits Basket event at Macy's in NYC? How did it go?!

Try This Manga - Doubt!!

2009-05-16T17:45:00.005-04:00

Doubt!!
by: Izumi Kaneyoshi
North American Publisher: Viz

This is a great, short manga series that was licensed by Viz before the Shojo Beat/Shonen Jump labels really got started. The spine of the books have the old style shojo label that we don't see anymore.

The story is pretty simple, Ai is a 'jimmi' girl. Basically she's nerdy, a bit plump, has only one friend (who is even worse off and MEAN), and has bad skin. After an exceedingly embarrassing incident she turns herself around, works out, gets better skin, the whole shebang and transfers schools as a hot new Ai. She meets new friends, gets herself a playboy boyfriend, and realizes that being hot and popular is not all it's cracked up to be.

This series was cancelled in Japan after six volumes, which is sad because there was a really good love triangle (well... square) developing and the characters were starting to get really interesting. But at the same time, it might have been a blessing in disguise because while the romance aspect was getting stronger, it was really straying from the original plot and sometimes the whole 'Ai still remembers not being hot' moments seemed almost forced.

But really, it's a great manga, especially for those of us who were late bloomers in life. Very relatable!

It might be a little harder to find though, viz only has a blurb about it on its website for viz media in general. But go to your local comic shop, they might have a few still kicking around!

Shojo News Updates

2009-05-13T08:07:00.009-04:00

Just some news and internet whisperings about some shojo manga that's worth sharing!

Yuki Yoshihara's popular josei manga Chou yo Hana yo (Butterfly or Flower) has been licensed by Viz for release in December, 2009. Also, her new series Venus ni Arazu will appear in Petit Comic in June. source
The Kodansha awards were announced recently, and best shojo went to Kiyoku Yawaku by Ikuemi Ryou. This manga is published in Cookie Magazine and has been ongoing since 2004. Currently it has no scanlaters listed. source
If you're a fan of Fruits Basket and in New York City this Saturday, head to Macy's for a Fruits Basket event. There will be a costume contest, photos, and if you spend more than $75 you'll get a special gift. source

So do you think I should post news bulletins more often? Or would you just ignore them?

poll by twiigs.com

New Releases - May 13, 2009

2009-05-12T18:31:00.003-04:00

Here are your (very few) new releases for this week!

Gakuen Alice, vol. 7
Swan, vol. 14

Wow. Two titles. One from Tokyopop, one from CMX. Seriously, it's pretty sparse after there was a larger week last week! Oh well, gives us all time to catch up on what we might have missed last week I guess.

I should note, while most manga are officially released on Tuesdays, I list the release dates as Wednesdays. Why? Because most comic books stores get their stock in on a Wednesday. And I'd rather support the independent stores rather than chain book stores :)

Scanlation Review - Doll Star

2009-05-10T13:00:00.001-04:00

Doll Star
by: Satomi Ran
scanlated by: Storm in Heaven

Fukudou Saho is a transfer student in a new school. During her introduction to her new classmates she reminds herself in her head to stay strong, and that to show weakness is to introduce herself to a world of being ignored by her classmates, and teasing. She is told to sit at the back, next to Yugi, a sleeping blonde girl. Saho realizes very quickly that she wont have to worry about being the black sheep of the class, since Yugi fills that role quite well.

Saho quickly makes friends with the girl that loves to tease Yugi the most. They decide to pull a prank on Yugi, but when Yugi fights back they get violent. Yugi drops her most prized possession, her 'kid', a mutilated stuffed animal. Saho feels a deep connection with Yugi, and while Yugi is taken to the nurse, Saho watches over the 'kid'. Yugi later thanks Saho for this, and let's Saho know that the 'kid' told her that Saho did this, and that Saho needs to stop being so mean to her 'kid'.

In the second chapter, it becomes quickly apparent that Saho takes her frustrations out on her own stuffed animal, and promises to stop. Very quickly we see where these frustrations come from, and yes, it is VERY dark and adult.

I almost didn't download this one. Storm in Heaven's site lists it at seinan, while manga updates list it as josei. Really, it could go either way, but I think it's more josei, at least as it stands right now. But all that REALLY matters is how GOOD it is. It's Satomi Ran's only listed manga, but don't let that deter you. It's well written, dark, and damn I cannot WAIT for the next chapter! Definitely go download this if you want something mature, and a fair bit creepy.

Manga Review - Otomen, vol. 2

2009-05-09T15:34:00.001-04:00

Otomen, vol. 2
by: Aya Kanno
North American Publisher: Shojo Beat

I really feel bad for poor Asuka, and volume 2 just makes it worse. And by worse, I mean awesome. The poor guy just has one thing after another that just keeps him on his toes. First he ends up running into a lower class man, Yamoto, that he and Juta mistake for a girl! Seeing how 'masculine' Asuka is, asks Asuka to mentor him. Asuka has to work doubly hard to conceal his feminine side from this new apprentice.

Once Asuka is able to shake Yamoto he tries to plan an awesome, romantic Christmas for himself and Ryo. But when a blizzard strikes, will all his work be for naught?

And then finally when things start going his way with Ryo, Asuka's mother returns with a very serious surprise for her son!

As seen by the poll on the sidebar, this manga is obviously pretty popular, and for good reason. It's well paced, entertaining, sweet, and the art is fantastic. Definitely good job on Viz's part on licensing it, it's highly entertaining.

Manga Review - High School Debut, vol. 9

2009-05-07T17:20:00.001-04:00

High School Debut, vol. 9
by: Kazune Kawahara

English publisher: Shojo Beat

It's time for the annual school sports meet! Haruna is in her element, but Yoh may have some trouble ahead. He starts to suspect that his best friend, Asaoka is developing feelings for Haruna. To make matters worse, Haruna feels a little left out of Yoh's life because he's become a grade representative, which means that in addition to his school work, he's got even less time to spend with her. Then he ends up being forced into leading his groups' cheer squad! Poor Yoh, he only wants to make Haruna happy!

This was a great volume. Haruna is her usual clueless self, but you really get to see a side of her that cares very, very deeply for Yoh, and that she will do anything to make sure he is happy. And unlike most cliched shojo couples, Yoh feels the exact same way about Haruna.

If you aren't reading High School Debut yet, I have one question for you: WHY NOT?! It's so sweet and fun and has a lot of ups and downs. Definitely a keeper!

Previews for July 2009

2009-05-06T17:32:00.000-04:00

Here are the manga that are solicited for July, 2009. Lots to be excited about!

Dark Horse

Bride of the Water God, vol. 4

CMX (advanced solicitations for August, 2009)

Musashi #9, vol. 16 (resolicitation for August 5, 2009)
Tears of a Lamb, vol. 6
Venus Capriccio, vol. 2

DMP

Ai No Kusabi, vol. 6
Angelic Runes, vol. 1
The Guilty, vol. 4 (18+)
Love Control, vol. 2 (18+)
Millennium Prime Minister, vol. 1
Shining Moon, vol. 4 (Junior Escort) (18+)
Train Train, vol. 2

Del Rey

Kamichama Karin Chu, vol. 5
Kitchen Princess, vol. 10 (final volume)
Nodame Cantabile, vol. 16

Go! Comi

Ultimate Venus, vol. 6

Shojo Beat (Viz) (advanced Solicitations for August)

Baby and Me, vol. 15
Black Bird, vol. 1
B.O.D.Y., vol. 6
Crimson Hero, vol. 11
Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time, vol. 15
Kaze Hikaru, vol. 14
Otomen, vol. 3
Vampire Knight, vol. 7

Tokyopop

Bizenghast, vol. 6
Bloody Kiss, vol. 1
Maid Sama!, vol. 2
Momogumi Plus Senki, vol. 1
Phantom Dream, vol. 3
Tsubasa: Those With Wings, vol. 2
Zone-00, vol. 1

Viz

Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun, vol. 9

Yen Press

Angel Diary, vol. 9
Antique Gift Shop, vol. 8
Dystopia, vol. 1
Legend, vol. 5
Sarasah, vol. 1
Very! Very! Sweet, vol. 4
You're So Cool, vol. 4

I've got to say, I'm pretty surprised about the lack of Shojo Beat titles coming out for August. They always do their solicitations a month earlier than most, who knows maybe some new titles will pop up before then. Tokyo pop has a lot of interesting stuff coming out, same with Yen! This should be a good summer!

New Releases May 6 2009

2009-05-05T17:07:00.003-04:00

I keep trying to make this a regular feature, but often I don't have enough time and I apologize. Fingers crossed I get better at it!

Body, vol. 5
Captive Hearts, vol. 4
Comic, vol. 6
Haruka Beyond the Stream of Time, vol. 4
High School Debut, vol. 9
Kaze Hikaru, vol. 13
Love Com, vol 12.
Nana, vol. 16
Orange Planet, vol. 1
Otomen, vol. 2
S.A., vol. 10
Sand Chronicles, vol. 5
Shugo Chara!, vol. 6
Wallflower, vol. 19
We Were There, vol. 4

Well, big week! Seems like Del Rey and Shojo Beat decided to release all their stuff on the same day! Either way, I'm pretty excited! Hopefully I'll have time to read it all!

Scanlation Review Hanatsuki Hime

2009-05-04T13:07:00.001-04:00

Hanatsuki Hime
By: Hibiki Wataru
Scanlated by: Aerandria Scans

Oh I am so happy that I stumbled upon this gem! Hanatsuki Hime is a great story set in the Middle East hundreds of years ago, about a cursed girl, Lys, and her companion Siva. Lys's curse is that when she was born her heart didn't beat, so her mother asked a demon to save her baby. The demon gave the baby his heart and told Lys's mother that when her baby turned sixteen years old, she would die so that the demon could have his heart back. And now, due to her having a demon's heart, Lys carries a large floral birthmark on her chest, which shows everyone she meets that she is cursed. Lys now travels with Siva, working as a dancer. She is fifteen now, and only has a year left to live.

This story is beautifully told, with art that suits it perfectly. The pictures flow across the page so wonderfully, and the story is bitter sweet. Honestly, this isn't the type of story I normally like, but I can't get enough of it. I have nothing but good things to say about this manga; go download it now!

Scanlation Review - Umi Yori mo Fukaku

2009-05-02T13:39:00.001-04:00

Umi Yori mo Fukaku
by: Yoshimura Akemi
scanlated by: SweetSense

UYmF was definitely a manga that took me by surprise. I'm not really a huge fan of this style of art, but it actually goes really well with the story. UYmF is about a young woman, Nemuko, who gets pestered into visiting a fortune teller. After he mocks her for being single her whole life, he tells her she shall die in only three years. He then presents some scenarios to her that will happen before she dies. He then promises her that he can save her life, if she agrees to come back to him.

Thoroughly freaked out, she goes home and later sees on the news that he's been arrested for fraud. Feeling relieved, Nemuko then calls home only to find that the predictions are coming true. She starts to feel that she really will die in only three years.

Despite the fantastical undertones, this manga is actually really realistic, very slice of life. I enjoyed the first volume, and despite my distaste for the art, I'll definitely be checking out the rest to see what happens to Nemuko. The book ends on a cliffhanger note (literally!) so I definitely want to read more!

Free Comic Book Day

2009-04-30T23:55:00.000-04:00

Don't forget that Saturday May 2nd is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY across North America. So check with your local comic book shop whether they will be participating and go get some free comics!

Opinion Post

2009-04-30T12:20:00.002-04:00

So something I've been wondering for a bit, especially since I started this blog is about scanlators that force you to join their forums. Ok, this I don't mind. It makes sense. But what do you think about having to make a minimum amount of posts on their forum to be able to see their downloads?

Frankly, I find this a huge pain! I get them wanting you to be active, but I think putting a posting requirement on their site would lead to a lot of spam type posts. It turns me off of a lot of scanlators.

Thoughts?

Non-manga shojo!

2009-04-25T11:00:00.001-04:00

Princess Debut
type: video game
developer: Cave

So a friend recommended this one to me. Check out 'Princess Debut' for Nintendo DS. It's a dating sim, and yeah before you go 'ew', it's actually just plain cute and silly fun! The plot of the game is that the player's character must replace her doppelganger from another dimension at a ball. So you have to not only find a partner to attend the ball with, but you must also learn to dance!

There are a variety of boys to choose from, from a class clown, to a major flirt, to a cool bookworm. All the boys require different dating techniques to win their hearts.

Not only that, but like I mentioned above, you need to learn to dance. This is done by tracing shapes on the touch screen with the stylus. There are different classical and Latin dances to learn, such as the waltz and the tango. Plus you get to listen to some really awesome ballroom music while you play.

There is also a side mission to collect cute accessories to wear to the upcoming ball!

All in all, it's a short, fun, cute game to play that you'll probably really enjoy if you love shojo!

Scanlation Review - Kuro Bara Alice

2009-04-22T14:00:00.002-04:00

Kuro Bara Alice
By: Mizushiro Setona
Scanlated by: Aerandria Scans

You know, I was in the mood for some really cool, gothic, costumey manga. Really cool frilly dresses, dark, sensual. Something like that. I thought I'd found it in Kuro Bara Alice.

Sadly this is NOT the case! KBA is a vampire tale set in Vienna over 100 years ago. Ok, ok, good start. Art, music, love, all good. Yes, the art was gorgeous. To die for. But the positives end there, for me at least. I found the story jumbled and poorly thought out. The characters are unrelatable, and I found them all aggravating. The protagonist is a whiner, the leading lady is a moron. I mean, from the image here, she looks like a very smart, cold woman. In the manga itself, she is boring, quiet, and meek. And on top of that, I was just plain bored reading it. It's slow and there isn't anything that makes me says 'oh man, I want to read more!' The last chapter I read had a cliffhanger ending, a huge 'shocker' and frankly I still don't feel like reading more.

There was one interesting take on vampirism, I'll give it that. If you read it you'll see.

I don't know, it could get a lot better in time, but I'm not planning on downloading more of it. It's a very interesting concept, and the art is gorgeous. But I don't think the story holds up.

Manga News

2009-04-20T17:20:00.001-04:00

So here is some exciting news. On June 10th, 2009 Dark Horse is releasing a Clover Omnibus. Yes, Clamp's Clover is coming, complete, to North America in its original right to left reading format. Clover has been out of print in Japan for years and is widely considered to be one of Clamp's best works. It's Gothic style and amazing art work combined with an incredible story is something you shouldn't pass up.

All four original volumes will be brought together in this omnibus, which looks like it will be priced at $19.95 American. I know I'll be grabbing a copy!

Manga Review - Nightschool vol. 1

2009-04-19T11:55:00.001-04:00

Nightschool vol. 1
by: Svetlana Chmakova
North American Publisher: Yen Press

First of all, this is not a Japanese manga. Svetlana was born in Russia and moved to Canada in her teens. Yes, this means her style, especially writing, isn't like what you'd see from Japan. It's Western stuff, plain and simple. And yes, it's a little weird.

The story is about what happens at a school after the normal students have gone home for the night. Young witches who have daemon spirit protectors train at the school after hours. But they are always on the look out for hunters, people out to destroy them.

Honestly, I wasn't a big fan of this book, and NOT because it's not Japanese. The story is an interesting concept, and after the first chapter I do want to read more. But after that a whole whack of new characters get introduced all at once. It just gets confusing and there are no bonds you want to form with any of the characters.

It's a great concept, and I'm happy for a Western artist to break into manga like this, but at the same time, her art and story telling style is more suited to more Western books. She needs to take note from fellow Canadian Faith Erin Hicks, who is putting out some amazing books right now.

Manga Review - Pig Bride vol. 1

2009-04-17T14:00:00.001-04:00

Pig Bride vol. 1
by: KokHwa Huh & Sujin Kim
North American Publisher: Yen Press

Ok, I'll admit I didn't have high hopes for this one. I'm just not a huge fan of anything I've read that's come out of Korea. I was very pleasantly surprised; it was rather cute.

Si-Joon has had the same dream since he was a kid: he gets lost in the woods when he's eight years old, only to stumble upon a weird family of women. He meets one young girl who dresses like a ninja and carries a sword, a middle aged woman in classic Korean robes, and a well dressed young girl wearing a pig mask. Before he knows it, he has been married to the girl in the pig mask because of an old family curse.

But upon his sixteenth birthday he realizes that these dreams aren't just dreams, they are memories and now his Pig Bride has shown up to consummate their marriage. Of course Si-Joon is understandably freaked out. But his family informs him that this is a must.

To round out the cast we have some powerful spiritual beings, Si-Joon's best friend, and Doe Doe, a seemingly sweet girl that Si-Joon likes, but she seems to have a darker side.

Honestly, this isn't for everyone. It's rather out there, but it's sweet. I have one critique of the art - a lot of the 3/4 face shots are well, sub par. But other than that, the art on the costumes is AMAZING. Doe Doe always looks super cute and fierce. I think one of my real issues is that there are some moments where I think the author is a little behind the times when it comes to female characters. At $10.99 American ($13.99 Canadian) it might be a little more money than you might be willing to spend on a 'hmm... it was cute,' but it's only 5 volumes long, and honestly I hope it develops into something really good!

Manga Review - Princess Princess +

2009-04-16T14:00:00.004-04:00

Princess Princess +
by: Tsuda Mikiyo
North American Publisher: Doki Doki Books

Princess Princess + is a sequel to Princess Princess. It's a one shot book, and no, you don't need to have read the previous series to understand what's going on. It's pretty easy to pick up, read, and get the gist.

The Princess Princess stories are set at boy's school Fujimori Academy, and every year male students are elected as 'princesses' who dress up in frilly girls' costumes and support the school's many clubs and groups as a motivational tool. Why would any boys be doing this? Because it comes with tons of perks. Huge single rooms in the dorms, a 'princess fund' they can take money from, and all around special treatment.

So this year's princesses are Matsuoka and Izumi. Izumi is a slightly silly, childish rich boy. He can basically throw money away, while Matsuoka comes from a very, very poor background.

Izumi wants nothing more than to become Matsuoka's best friend, but Matsuoka doesn't want a rich kid as his friend. Izumi starts trying to force his way into Matsuoka's life by showering him and his family with gifts, money, flowers. But it just drives Matsuoka away out of jealousy. But Matsuoka doesn't realize that Izumi is jealous of him too. Matsuoka, while poor, has a loving, tight knit family. Izumi may be rich, but he never sees his parents and gets his love with presents, which is why he shows his friendship for Matsuka with things, rather than just being nice.

The whole time, last year's three princesses are trying very hard to make Izumi and Matsuoka's friendship work. They play a really good supportive role. They don't get in the way, they help explain the previous series, and they are good for some laughs.

In the end, the two boys learn of each others' needs, desires, and realize that each is jealous of the other for different reasons. It's a sweet, funny story that is definitely worth picking up if you're interested in a one-shot book!

New THis Week - April 15, 2009

2009-04-14T18:52:00.004-04:00

Here are the titles being released this week! Sorry I didn't do one last week, too busy!

Shojo Beat

Honey Hunt vol. 1
Red River vol. 25

Yen Press

Night School vol. 1
One Thousand and One Nights vol. 7
Pig Bride vol. 1

Woah super small week huh? One quick note: Viz's site lists Honey Hunt as being released last week and Boys Over Flowers as THIS week. This is an error, we got in BOF last week, Honey Hunt comes tomorrow! I'm excited for this series.

Scanlation Review - Faster Than a Kiss

2009-04-12T19:18:00.005-04:00

Faster Than a Kiss
by: Tanaka Meca
scanlated by: Intercross & Serenus-Dreamers

Alright, first and foremost I apologize for the delay! This week has been super busy at the shop, and I was hoping my next update would be a licensed release, but due to time constraints, even though a lot shipped this week I haven't had a chance to bring anything home to read. So enjoy another scanlation review haha.

So 'Faster Than a Kiss' is DEFINITELY a title I recommend giving a read. Right now in Japan it's at four volumes and is still ongoing. It's about a tough high school girl, Fumino, who is left to take care of her four year old brother, Tippei, after their parents pass away. About ready to run away and drop out of school, her high school teacher offers to marry her to take care of her and her brother. Ok, little out there, but what manga doesn't have its moments? Anyway, she agrees and now they live together. Despite the fact that this could cost them both dearly (his job, plus he could go to jail).

It's a sweet, funny tale, and very enjoyable to read. My only issue? Repetitiveness. Hopefully the mangaka stops his pattern, but I've read the first 2 volumes and it's the same thing every time. Despite the fact that Fumino is some super tough chick, Maa-kun (her husband) is always saving her butt. Then they cry together, almost kiss, and then stop themselves.

It's sweet, it's cute, it's fun. I definitely see this as being right up Viz's alley for licensing. And so long as the mangaka stops doing the whole 'trouble, save, cry, kiss' thing, it should be a very, very enjoyable series!

Scanlation Review - Oresama Teacher

2009-04-05T23:24:00.005-04:00

Oresame Teacher
mangaka - Tsubaki Izumi
scanlated by - Intercross, Osuwari Team, Serenus-Dreamers

Where to start? Either it's my cold, my cold medication, or this manga is all over the place. Or all of the above? It was just bouncing around like crazy. Maybe I should make this review like the story? Just bounce around?

Ok, so plot. Girl transfers to a school that will accept just about anyone. She was expelled from her last school for fighting. Oh, her name is Mafuyu, by the way. Anyway, she's excited to start a new life as a young lady and stop fighting.

And then we get some sort of flash back thing? It's just weird. I think it's the middle of the fight that got her kicked out of her last school? But then it flashes back to her saving some guy from getting knifed in a fight.

The guy she saves ends up stealing her food, and takes off. Which makes her mad, obviously. Plus he wont tell her how he knows so much about her school, or what year he is in.

And then on her first day of school - dun dun dun - spoilers - this guy is her home room teacher!

Yeah, it's ALL OVER THE PLACE and totally random, but strangely I like it! I think I read the next few chapters. It seems cute and fun. The art really works well with the story. It's full of life and is just fun to look at.

Honestly, it sounds odd and random, but give it a chance. It's pretty darn cute!