What manga are you reading now?

Days of Love at Seagull Villa vols 2 & 3 (complete)
Probably the most complex yuri story I've read in that the romance isn't front and centre, but rather the complex life of the characters that help and hinder in the building of the relationship. The side story of two of the characters was on one hand quite interesting seeing the relationship between half sisters where one is constantly praised and the other shunned as the girl born of the mistress, but also a little weird as they also seem to be a bit more than sisters, but I guess incest between same sex couples can't be seen in the same light as a hetro couple as there's no chance of a child being born.
7/10
 
Black Summoner volume 8 (LN)
Girlfriend, Girlfriend volume 4
Call of the Night Volume 5 - Things are getting intense in this vampire romance!
The Summer with You (Complete) - A follow up to The Summer of You. A fun volume, although I felt it was a little more aimless in places than the initial story and that took away from it a bit. However, I'd definitely be up for seeing more of the cast if the author ever brought out a third book!
 
Demelza said:
The Summer with You (Complete) - A follow up to The Summer of You. A fun volume, although I felt it was a little more aimless in places than the initial story and that took away from it a bit. However, I'd definitely be up for seeing more of the cast if the author ever brought out a third book!
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It looks as if it's continuing as there's a new (as far as I can tell) episode in April gateau so hopefully ongoing (and the publisher announced reprints of both tankoubon, always a good sign)! :)
 
Sarah said:
It looks as if it's continuing as there's a new (as far as I can tell) episode in April gateau so hopefully ongoing (and the publisher announced reprints of both tankoubon, always a good sign)! :)
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Excellent news, I will certainly be looking forward to that. :)
 
After the Rain volume 2
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End volume 1 - Been eagerly awaiting getting my copy of this one for a while now. Interesting series that lived up to my expectations, although I'm not totally sold on our protagonist the way other readers have been. One thing I do love is how the author shows the passage of time with small montage scenes here and there and that is maybe what has hooked me more than the actual cast (although the hero seemed cool!)

You Call That Service? Volume 5 (LN)
Hell Mode: The Hardcore Gamer Dominates in Another World With Garbage Balancing volume 3 (LN)
 
Sex Ed 120% volume 3 (complete) - I feel like the core premise of the series got away from itself as it went on, especially in this entry that focused more on the character relationships. Not a bad read by any means, but certainly not exactly why I came to the series either.

You're My Cutie volume 3

Piano Duo for the Left Hand volume 1 - Depending on how much you care about the fact the the female main character gets truck kun'd just to give the male MC a goal in life as he takes over her dreams, this one proved intense! I like the plot so I'm certainly going to be coming back to this one as more volumes come out.
 
Demelza said:
Piano Duo for the Left Hand volume 1 - Depending on how much you care about the fact the the female main character gets truck kun'd just to give the male MC a goal in life as he takes over her dreams, this one proved intense! I like the plot so I'm certainly going to be coming back to this one as more volumes come out.
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I've just been reading this one too and I'd certainly agree with your description of this as intense! I have some concerns as to the viability of the pianistic side of things (!) but then, given everything else that's happened, that really shouldn't be troubling me... 😅
 
Sarah said:
I've just been reading this one too and I'd certainly agree with your description of this as intense! I have some concerns as to the viability of the pianistic side of things (!) but then, given everything else that's happened, that really shouldn't be troubling me... 😅
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Yeah, I admit I'm not particularly sold on the idea that it will do anything even remotely realistic with the piano side of things, especially since it already tossed out all notion of him learning the basics right from the start. But I'm willing to let it off the hook there provided the character dynamics remain interesting although depending on how things play out with Akari's best friend, that might prove too melodramatic and silly for me. We are already cutting it fine with the 'evil' aura floating around her... 😅
 
Demelza said:
Sex Ed 120% volume 3 (complete) - I feel like the core premise of the series got away from itself as it went on, especially in this entry that focused more on the character relationships. Not a bad read by any means, but certainly not exactly why I came to the series either.

You're My Cutie volume 3

Piano Duo for the Left Hand volume 1 - Depending on how much you care about the fact the the female main character gets truck kun'd just to give the male MC a goal in life as he takes over her dreams, this one proved intense! I like the plot so I'm certainly going to be coming back to this one as more volumes come out.
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you would think Japanese high schoolers would some road sense by now, since so many get hit by trucks
 
New York, New York #1 by Marimo Ragawa Yen Press (review to follow)
Deko-boko Bittersweet Days by Atsuko Yusen Tokyopop (review to follow)
Birds of Shangri-La #2 by Ranmaru Zariya SuBLime (at last, a physical copy!)

Nostalgia Shelf
I came across an old favourite when tidying a lower bookshelf (don't ask!): The Flat Earth/Exchange a four-volume science fiction manga from 2002 by Toshimi Nigoshi (Jihai) published by the now-extinct CMX in 2008. I was really fond of this series which was made to wrap up far too swiftly for all the usual reasons; the mangaka obviously had many more volumes and plot mapped out. It's fascinating observing the mangaka's graphic style improving and evolving throughout the chapters - and sad to realize that her wishes to return to the series were never fulfilled. Anyone else remember this title?
the flate earth exchange 3.jpg
 
Demelza said:
Yeah, I admit I'm not particularly sold on the idea that it will do anything even remotely realistic with the piano side of things, especially since it already tossed out all notion of him learning the basics right from the start. But I'm willing to let it off the hook there provided the character dynamics remain interesting although depending on how things play out with Akari's best friend, that might prove too melodramatic and silly for me. We are already cutting it fine with the 'evil' aura floating around her... 😅
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Even if this one doesn't progress as hoped, I'm pleased to see Kodansha offering so many different types of new manga and new mangaka - even if they don't bring all of them out in physical versions (A Kiss with a Cat also looks quite cute!) Apple Children of Aeon is an intriguing title too with elements of urban fantasy.

I see also that they're re-reissuing The Wallflower next month - all 36 volumes of it! (That was one of the first titles they brought out back in the day in translation when they were Del Rey). I just wish their physical volumes would make it to these shores rather more regularly!
 
Sarah said:
Nostalgia Shelf
I came across an old favourite when tidying a lower bookshelf (don't ask!): The Flat Earth/Exchange a four-volume science fiction manga from 2002 by Toshimi Nigoshi (Jihai) published by the now-extinct CMX in 2008. I was really fond of this series which was made to wrap up far too swiftly for all the usual reasons; the mangaka obviously had many more volumes and plot mapped out. It's fascinating observing the mangaka's graphic style improving and evolving throughout the chapters - and sad to realize that her wishes to return to the series were never fulfilled. Anyone else remember this title?
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I have two volumes of it but not the first one so I never read it, did sound like an interesting title though :)

Sarah said:
I see also that they're re-reissuing The Wallflower next month - all 36 volumes of it! (That was one of the first titles they brought out back in the day in translation when they were Del Rey). I just wish their physical volumes would make it to these shores rather more regularly!
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Was just pondering whether I will read or watch this series the other day when I went through an Amazon wishlist of mine that has some very old releases on it such as the Funimation DVD boxsets of The Wallflower, directed by Nabeshin of Excel Saga fame, of all people! (Also for anyone who doesn't know, he is NOT the same person as Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop/Samurai Champloo and so on. I'll admit it always really really annoyed me when people got them mixed up as 1. They have wildly differing directorial/general artistic styles and sensibilities. 2. Nabeshin is actually called Shinichi Watanabe NOT Shinichiro. 3. It's easy to find all this out from a simple google/Wikipedia/Anime News Network/MAL search.) It did sound like a clever subversive and wholesome premise so maybe I'll read it one day, though that is a lot of volumes and I still haven't gotten around to reading some of the vintage shoujo manga in my collection such as Lovely Complex and Kare Kano and it's far more important to me to read and watch what I already have than to accumulate more, for the foreseeable future at least :)
 
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RadFemHedonist said:
I have two volumes of it but not the first one so I never read it, did sound like an interesting title though :)
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I was really fond of it - and I think there are still volumes available around to make up a set if the idea appeals . From an SF pov, its influences and many and varied - but its the mangaka's gift for creating relatable characters that stood out for me when I read it. Sadly, after Jihai (which was a success) she never really got another big break.
 
RadFemHedonist said:
Was just pondering whether I will read or watch this series the other day when I went through an Amazon wishlist of mine that has some very old releases on it such as the Funimation DVD boxsets of The Wallflower, directed by Nabeshin of Excel Saga fame, of all people!
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Ah yes, Nabeshin! Excel Saga was the second anime I collected/watched on DVD way back in the day and I was highly amused, perplexed and sometimes irritated by it (na, I loved it! Menchi...) I don't remember much about the anime version of The Wallflower (I don't think I watched it all at the time) but 'Nabeshin' must have been the ideal director for it, given the weirdness of some of the flights of fancy indulged in by the mangaka. But I completely understand what you say about working through the titles you've already bought and I can't help thinking that Kare Kano is probably a better watch today (although I'm happy for someone to prove me wrong!) :)
 
Sarah said:
Ah yes, Nabeshin! Excel Saga was the second anime I collected/watched on DVD way back in the day and I was highly amused, perplexed and sometimes irritated by it (na, I loved it! Menchi...) I don't remember much about the anime version of The Wallflower (I don't think I watched it all at the time) but 'Nabeshin' must have been the ideal director for it, given the weirdness of some of the flights of fancy indulged in by the mangaka. But I completely understand what you say about working through the titles you've already bought and I can't help thinking that Kare Kano is probably a better watch today (although I'm happy for someone to prove me wrong!) :)
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I have actually watched the Kare Kano and Lovely Complex anime series (in Kare Kano's case it's a personal favourite that I have watched at least 3 if not 4 or 5 times), was referring to the manga versions (I have only read the first 2-4 volumes of each, but own the complete series of both!) I understand my wording was a bit ambiguous though :) Have you read Kare Kano or Love*Com yourself? :)
 
RadFemHedonist said:
Have you read Kare Kano or Love*Com yourself? :)
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I confess I haven't! Much of my manga reading in the noughties was driven by either what I was sent to review (boxes from Del Rey/Kodansha and Yen Press, no digital copies back then) or pursuing titles that appealed (often from publishers that then went bust like CMX, ADV, go! Comi or Deux 😢). So I missed out on some long-running shojo titles.

I find it's fascinating comparing the anime versions with the original manga - and seeing where different choices are made and conjecturing as to why. So that might impel me to read the manga - and maybe you too? But both those series are quite long (!) so I can understand that you might not wish to dive back in straight away. :) (The last long series like that I read was Tramps like Us by Yayoi Ogawa - digital. I remember looking at it on the Tokyopop stand in our local Waterstones when such a thing existed and thinking it'd be nice to read it - but then buying Wild Adapter or Silver Diamond...)
 
Kabukimonogatari

Another fun read with good twists and turns along the way. For a chapter titled after Mayoi it spends a lot of time on the relationship between Araragi and Shinobu. But also takes the perils and stakes in a whole new direction which keeps things fresh while at the same time being more of the same Monogatari we've come to know by this point.
 
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