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On The Shelf: August 28, 2013

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, August 28, 2013

The student-pocalypse is upon us! It’s the last week of August and students around the world are back to the books after this coming weekend. Enjoy your freedom while you can! Which means read, read, read! … and then continue to do so.

My must-have book for this week is Vertical Inc‘s Helter Skelter. I have a lot of faith in the company’s selection for titles as it is, and this josei story – a title aimed at older woman – about a model’s use of plastic surgery to try and keep up her career, and her spiraling madness because of it, sounds like a worthwhile drama to seek out. Plus as much as I love good on-going series, a solid one shot can often be even more satisfying.

Cage of Eden (Vol. 11) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Crimson Empire: Circumstances to Serve a Noble (Vol. 02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Helter Skelter: Fashion Unfriendly [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Kingdom Hearts II (Vol. 02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Pandora Hearts (Vol. 17) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]

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Categories: News, On The Shelf, Release Lists
Tags: Cage of Eden, Crimson Empire, Helter Skelter, Kingdom Hearts, Kodansha Comics, Manga, Pandora Hearts, Vertical Inc, Yen Press

On The Shelf: August 21, 2013

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, August 21, 2013

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It looks like Otakuthon was a lot of fun this year. I’ve always wanted to try going, but just haven’t planned it yet. Maybe 2014? Good excuse to take the train! I love our sad, barely running little train system.

As for manga, this week I’m most looking forward to Bunny Drop (Vol. 09) from Yen Press. This volume wraps up the main story and is the book long criticized for its ending. I’m so conflicted by the idea alone. On one hand (no spoilers!), yuck. On the other? Maybe Yumi Unita can make it less yuck? We’ll soon see.

No. 6 (Vol. 02) from Kodansha Comics is also a must-buy after enjoying the first so much, plus the anime adaptation. Yen Press is starting a new series with Judge (Vol. 01), the sequel to Doubt, and Viz Media is releasing the long-awaited Ikigami: Ultimate Limit (Vol. 09). At last!

Also work a note is this week’s Shonen Jump. Because the magazine is on holiday in Japan, there are no new chapters but Viz Media also released a special Naruto art book in its place. I’m not a Naruto reader myself, but it’s great they still put together something. My fingers are crossed they do the same for future holidays – I’d love a cover art collection of other series, such as Toriko, Bleach or Dragonball.

Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Omnibus (Vol. 02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
BTOOOM! (Vol. 03) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Bunny Drop (Vol. 09) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Ikigami: Ultimate Limit (Vol. 09) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Judge (Vol. 01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
No. 6 (Vol. 02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Pokemon Adventures: Heart Gold & Soul Silver (Vol. 01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Puella Magi Kazumi Magica: The Innocent Malice (Vol. 02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Umineko When They Cry: Turn of the Golden Witch (Vol. 02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]

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Categories: On The Shelf, Release Lists
Tags: Battle Angel Alita, Btooom!, Bunny Drop, Ikigami, Judge, Kodansha Comics, Manga, No.6, Perfect Square, Pokemon Adventures, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Spice and Wolf, Umineko, Viz Media, Yen Press

On The Shelf: August 14, 2013

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, August 14, 2013

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MAGI is here! I’ve been eager to read this manga ever since I started watching the anime adaptation on Crunchyroll. I really love the characters, and hope the manga is as much fun. I’m still in shock it’s by the creator of Sumomomo, Momomo though. If curious, you can read Andre’s review of Sumomomo (Vol. 02).

Other exciting titles for me this week include the new editions of Embracing Love, courtesy of SuBLime, and volume one of the Tiger & Bunny Comic Anthology from Viz Media.

Blue Morning (Vol. 02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Dorohedoro (Vol. 10) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Embracing Love 2-in-1 (Vol. 01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Excel Saga (Vol. 26) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Inu Yasha VizBIG (Vol. 16) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Itsuwaribito (Vol. 09) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Knights of Sidonia (Vol. 04) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
MAGI (Vol. 01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Neon Genesis Evangelion 3-in-1 (Vol. 04) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Tiger & Bunny Comic Anthology (Vol. 01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]

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Categories: News, On The Shelf
Tags: Blue Morning, Boys' Love/Yaoi, Dorohedoro, Embracing Love, Excel Saga, Inu Yasha, Itsuwaribito, Knights of Sidonia, Magi, Manga, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Omnibus, Shonen Jump, SIG Ikki, SuBLime, Tiger & Bunny, Vertical Inc, Viz Media

On The Shelf: August 7, 2013

By Lissa Pattillo on Friday, August 9, 2013

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Happy Birthday to me! Well, belated. Sort of. This week’s shipping day, August 7th, just so happened to be my birthday, and what a birthday it was! This week was a huge one for new manga – thanks predominantly to Viz Media – and among the spoils were some of my favourite series still running.

Notables for me included Toriko (Vol. 17), the final volume of Bakuman, A Devil and Her Love Song (Vol. 10), Kamisama Kiss (Vol. 13) and the very long awaited Kaze Hikaru (Vol. 21), a title that only comes out once a year! Plenty to choose from. Seek, read and enjoy~

A Certain Scientific Railgun (Vol. 08) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
A Devil and Her Love Song (Vol. 10) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Alice in the Country of Hearts: The Clockmaker’s Story [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Bakuman (Vol. 20) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Dance in the Vampire Bund Omnibus (Vol. 03) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Happy Marriage!? (Vol. 01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Kamisama Kiss (Vol. 13) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Kaze Hikaru (Vol. 21) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Kimi ni Todoke (Vol. 17) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Kitaro [Amazon CAN, Amazon US]
Knights of Sidonia (Vol. 04) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Library Wars: Love & War (Vol. 10) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Naruto (Vol. 62) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan (Vol. 16) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Otomen (Vol. 16) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Pokemon Adventures: Heart Gold and Soul Silver (Vol. 01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Pokemon: Black and White (Vol. 11) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Rosario + Vampire Season II (Vol. 12) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Slam Dunk (Vol. 29) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Tegami Bachi (Vol. 14) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
The Sacred Blacksmith (Vol. 02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
The Wallflower (Vol. 31) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Toriko (Vol. 17) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
World War Blue (Vol. 02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]

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Categories: On The Shelf, Release Lists
Tags: A Certain Scientific Railgun, A Devil and her Love Song, Alice in the Country of..., Bakuman, Dance in the Vampire Bund, Drawn and Quarterly, Happy Marriage?!, Kamisama Kiss, Kaze Hikaru, Kimi ni Todoke, Kitaro, Knights of Sidonia, Library Wars, Manga, Naruto, Nura Rise of the Yokai Clan, Otomen, Pokemon Adventures, Rosario + Vampire, Seven Seas, Shonen Jump, Slam Dunk, Tegami Bachi, The Sacred Blacksmith, The Wallflower, Toriko, Viz Media, World War Blue

On The Shelf: July 31, 2013

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, July 31, 2013

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July is one of those special months that ends up having five Wednesdays, so that means five days for new manga to come out. And despite this being the last day of July, it still has a good amount of books coming out too.

My top pick today easily goes to Vertical Inc‘s release of Twin Knight. This one shot book is Osamu Tezuka’s sequel to his popular Princess Knight. Before Vertical announced this title, I didn’t even know there was a sequel. This makes me even more excited to buy it as I’ve intentionally avoided reading anything about Twin Knight so as much is a surprise as possible.

Yen Press also has some gems with a stack of new Kingdom Hearts books. These are all re-translated and repackaged series originally published by Tokyopop. This weeks’ include the second, and final, volume of the first story, Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, a complete one shot release of the second story, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and the first of two volumes for the follow-up story, Kingdom Hearts II.

I’ll also be revisiting an old favourite with Viz Media‘s newest omnibus volume of Hana Kimi. Romantic drama and cross-dressing fun~

Bloody Monday (Vol.11) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Fairy Tail (Vol.28) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Hana-Kimi Omnibus (Vol.05) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Heroman (Vol.05) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Gantz (Vol.28) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Kingdom Hearts Final Mix (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Kingdom Hearts II (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Twin Knight [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]

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Categories: News, On The Shelf, Release Lists
Tags: Bloody Monday, Fairy Tail, Gantz, Hana Kimi, Heroman, Highschool of the Dead, Kingdom Hearts, Twin Knight

On The Shelf: July 24th, 2013

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, July 24, 2013

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It’s a big week for Yen Press with a stack of fresh manga volumes to help us get through these rainy days. …Or boiling hot days, depending on where you are.

Though I’m still in the fading stages of my Sailor Moon overload from last week‘s final volume, my enthusiasm will soon to be shifting to what lands in my shopping bag today, notably Black Butler (Vol. 14) and Doubt (Vol. 02).

And don’t forget about Shonen Jump, which comes out every week! This week’s issue includes, among many other things, the final chapter of Cross Manage and the second installment of Akira Toriyama’s new series, Jaco the Galatic Patrolman.

Black Butler (Vol.14) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Bloody Monday (Vol.11) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Doubt (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Is This a Zombie (Vol.05) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
K-ON! College [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Puella Magi Oriko Magica (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Soul Eater (Vol.15) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Until Death Do Us Part (Vol.04) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]

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Categories: On The Shelf
Tags: Black Butler, Bloody Monday, Doubt, Is This A Zombie, K-ON!, Manga, Puella Magica Madoka, Soul Eater, Until Death Do Us Part, Yen Press

On The Shelf: July 17th, 2013

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, July 17, 2013

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The last volume of Sailor Moon is out this week! Noooooo… … Well, at least until the two volumes of short story extras come out. But still, very sad.

Another classic is getting a new go, fresh from the start – Lone Wolf and Cub. The length and odd format of this series has always been a deterrent to me, but now at a larger trim size and in omnibus format, I may finally read one of the longest running manga series in North America.

07-Ghost (Vol.05) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow (Vol.05) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Limit (Vol.06) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Lone Wolf and Cub Omnibus (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Missions of Love (Vol.04) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Sailor Moon (Vol.12) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]

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Categories: On The Shelf
Tags: 07 Ghost, Dark Horse, I'll Give It My All, Kodansha Comics, Limit, Long Wolf and Cub, Missions of Love, Sailor Moon, SIG Ikki, Vertical Inc, Viz Media

On The Shelf: July 10, 2013

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, July 11, 2013

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Books, book, books. Make sure you don’t miss your second – and possibly last – chance to buy two of my favourite manga series, with Fullmetal Alchemist 3-in-1 (Vol. 05) and Tokyo Babylon Omnibus (Vol. 02). I’m really loving this new(ish) omnibus trend. They’re often worth every penny and then some~

Case Closed (Vol.47) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
The Flowers of Evil (Vol.06) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Fullmetal Alchemist 3-in-1 (Vol.05) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
RIN-NE (Vol.12) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Tiger & Bunny (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Tokyo Babylon Omnibus (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]

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Categories: Licensing, News, On The Shelf
Tags: Case Closed, CLAMP, Dark Horse, Fullmetal Alchemist, Omnibus, Rin-Ne, The Flowers of Evil, Tiger & Bunny, Tokyo Babylon, Vertical Inc, Viz Media

On The Shelf: July 3, 2013

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, July 3, 2013

1 Comment »

The upside to being staff at a con and never having a moment to visit the dealer’s room, is that you don’t end up spending much money. It doesn’t mean I’m rolling in dollar bills, alas, but I am always grateful to have a little budget wiggle room when new release day comes around.

My must-have buy this week is the first volume of Vertical Inc‘s new series, Wolfsmund. This past weekend at Animaritime, Ed Chavez spoke about the artist’s work as assistant to both the creators of Emma and Berserk, as well as showed us some interior artwork. This is a book I definitely need to have.

Little Fluffy Gigolo PELU (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US]
Battle Angel Alita: Last Order (Vol.18) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Blue Exorcist (Vol.10) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
D.Gray-man 3-in-1 (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Gunslinger Girl (Vol.15) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Jiu Jiu (Vol.05) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Kanokon Omnibus (Vol.03-04) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Mayo Chiki! (Vol.03) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Natsume’s Book of Friends (Vol.14) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Oresama Teacher (Vol.14) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Pokemon Adventures: Ruby & Sapphire (Vol.17) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Pokemon Adventures: Black and White Collected (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Psyren (Vol.11) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Skip Beat! Omnibus (Vol.05) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Strobe Edge (Vol.05) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Vampire Knight (Vol.17) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Wolfsmund (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
World War Blue (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]

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Categories: On The Shelf
Tags: Battle Angel Alita, Blue Exorcist, D. Gray-man, Gunslinger Girl, Jiu Jiu, Kanokon, Kodansha Comics, Last Gasp, Little Fluffy Gigolo Pelu, Manga, Mayo Chiki, Natsume's Book of Friends, Oresama Teacher, Pokemon, Psyren, Seven Seas, Skip Beat, Strobe Edge, Vampire Knight, Vertical Inc, Viz Media, Wolfsmund, World War Blue

On The Shelf: June 26, 2013

By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, June 26, 2013

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It’s a busy week for Kuriousity as half our writers, myself included, gear up for the upcoming Animaritime. It’s the final prep-day countdown! But that doesn’t stop us from oogling this week’s new assortment of manga, which includes a whole bunch of new Yen Press books.

I really enjoyed Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories which Yen Press is releasing as a single omnibus. Unfortunately my feelings weren’t as generous for Puella Magi Kazumi Magica. To each their own of course, and this week offers plenty to choose from. Buy and enjoy!

Aron’s Absurd Armada (Vol.02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Fairy Tail (Vol.27) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class (Vol.05) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Heroman (Vol.05) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Higurashi: When They Cry – Festival Accompanying Arc (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Nabari No Ou (Vol.14) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Negima! Magister Negi Magi Omnibus (Vol.07) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Pandora Hearts (Vol.16) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Puella Magi Kazumi Magica: The Innocent Malice (Vol.01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Spice & Wolf (Vol.08) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Triage X (Vol.03) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Oreimo (Vol.03) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]