It was a fairly big week for titles I really wanted to come out so I was happy to arrive at my local comic shop and find nearly all the books I wanted were on the shelf waiting for me – and then some!
The first book I picked up was Ayako, a new one-volume omnibus from Osamu Tezuka. It’s published by Vertical and the packaging is definitely different from your average manga – a thick, hardcover book, and it’s a hefty one! Also from Vertical I bought the second volume of 7 Billion Needles. I really loved the first one though to this day still find it hard to figure out exactly why, it’s just a really compelling story.
Viz Media books came next and I continued on with several on-going series: Bleach (Vol. 33), Toriko (Vol. 02) and Cactus Secret (Vol. 04). I also bought the second volume of Bakuman (Vol. 02), even though the flat-out dumb character interactions in volume one left me feeling cold towards it. Fingers crossed for more manga industry and less… whatever that attempt at romance was.
Next I picked up some DelRey titles, which did feel a little odd all things considering. But these were two very welcome purchases, volume 28 of Reservoir Chronicles Tsubasa and volume 11 of Ghost Hunt. Both are the final volumes of the series which means they’re both two series I won’t need to fear never seeing the end of. The Tsubasa book also surprised me with how thick it is, looks like a lengthy finish. Hopefully one that makes sense too.
Alas that while it was good to see two series finish up just in time, it wasn’t so lucky for the first volume of Arisa. I picked up this series after reading Carlos Santos’ review of the title and I’m really glad I did (as I never would’ve if not for his review). I’ve already read it and really enjoyed it – definitely a case of not judging a book by its cover. Please, Kodansha Comics, should you ever truly exist, choose this book as one of those you keep going with from DelRey’s library.
And lastly, I picked up the boys’ love one-shot Cafe Latte Rhapsody from June Manga, and Black God (Vol. 11) published by Yen Press. Cafe Latte is by Toko Kawai, whose works I’ve generally enjoyed in the past. The art’s a little bleh but she writes good character stories. Flipping through, this one stars a character with freckles which I thought was cute.
So how about you? What marks your first purchases of December?
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Howdy! Actually, volume eleven of Ghost Hunt is not the final volume, although the Midtown Comics website reportedly has labeled it as such. There will be twelve volumes total.
Source: ANN
I hope we get it here then, maybe Kodansha will see fit to do so since there's just the one left! Though this eleventh volume is definitely packaged to suggest it's the last – has a big label 'The Last Hunt' on the back and the story itself feels very 'I'm-the-mushy-last-story!' ;p
Maybe Kodansha Comics could publish Vol.12 as a one-shot?
I nabbed a set of Sugar Princess Vol.1+2, Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei Vol.8 [hope Kodansha continues it, though it's pretty episodic in general and Media Blaster has the anime, so I won't be totally lost], along with also picking up 7 Billion Needles Vol.2 [the characterization and unpredictable plot make for a fun read], and finally, Street Fighter Gaiden Vol.1, which looks pretty solid with Mami Itoh art [hoping my copy of her DarkStalkers/Red Earth story collection is in soon too- nice of Udon to release both at once]
Bth Tesubas: Those with wings omnibuses othr then that not much