Mass market paperbacks seem to get a certain amount of derision from the bookish community. They’re too thick, the typeface too small, they fall apart easily, the spines always break, and the covers tear off with little provocation. And I own hundreds of them.
By: Leiji Matsumoto
Illustrator: Kouiti Shimaboshi (art); Meaghan Tucker (lettering)
Translator: Zack Davisson
Release Date: September 5, 2017 (English)
Publisher: Seven Seas
Series: Captain Harlock Space Pirate: Dimensional Voyage
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:
Captain Harlock Space Pirate: Dimensional Voyage is a retelling of Captain Harlock. Billed as a good place to start from for those who haven’t read the original series, I planned to put that to the test. And, yes, I can say with certainty that this was a good place to start from. While I know the general concept of Captain Harlock, I have not read the original manga, so I was going into this rather blind. I never felt lost or left behind. The manga really does do an excellent job of introducing the world and its character’s to a new audience.
By: Kiri Wazawa
Illustrator: Kiri Wazawa (artist); Kaitlyn Wiley (Letterer)
Translator: Mikka Stifler
Release Date: September 12, 2013
Publisher: Square Enix
Series: The Morose Mononokean
Rating:
I love finding new manga to read, things I’ve never heard of, things that are harder to find. One such manga is currently available through Crunchyroll (I definitely recommend taking a peek at their manga section). The Morose Mononokean Vol 1 by Kiri Wazawa is a lighthearted, fluffy manga about a boy who becomes part-time help for an exorcist.
By: Malka Older
Release Date: September 19, 2017
Publisher: Tor Books
Series: Centenal Cycle
Rating:
If you enjoy political thrillers, near future science fiction, or cyberpunk The Centennal Cycle is a series of books for you. Null States by Malka Older sees the infomocracy fraying at the edges, world peace threatened, and an assassination take place in a new micro-democracy.
By: Kugane Maruyama
Illustrator: so-bin
Translator: Emily Balistrieri
Release Date: (Original) December 28, 2013; (English) September 19, 2017
Publisher: Yen Press
Series: Overlord
Rating:
Well, here we are with another volume of Overlord. This light novel series has gone interesting places, and I’m always pleasantly surprised by what happens next. Overlord, Volume 5: The Men of the Kingdom Part 1 by Kugane Maruyama is the start to an interesting new arc in the series focusing more on Sebas and several human characters.
By: Hiromu Arakawa
Illustrator: Hiromu Arakawa (artist); Steve Dutro (Letterer); Adam Grano (Design)
Translator: Akira Watanabe
Release Date: May 8, 2018
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Series: Fullmetal Alchemist
Rating:
Tomorrow sees the release of a beautiful new hardcover edition of a genre defining series, Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition Vol 1 by Hiromu Arakawa. This new edition is a gorgeous, high quality hardbound edition that is absolutely perfect for fans and collectors alike.
By: Yuki Tabata
Translator: Taylor Engel
Release Date: (Original Japanese) June 4, 2015; (English) June 7, 2016
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Series: Black Clover
Rating:
Lately I’ve been trying to read all of the manga that have been sitting on my shelves unread for months (or longer). Shonen Jump titles come first as it doesn’t make sense to only be reading half a magazine every Monday. So, today we’re taking a look at Black Clover Volume 1 by Yuki Tabata.
I made it! I completed the OWLs Reading Challenge!
Honestly, I wasn’t sure I was going to complete the five categories needed to ace my OWLs. I didn’t read quite as much this month as I did through January, February, and March, and I finished the last two books on the very last day of the challenge. This was tons of fun, though. I loved the premise of the challenge. I really had to search through my shelves for books that would fulfill some of the categories. While I didn’t read something for all of the categories, I did have books lined up for almost all of them and do still plan on reading them at some point in the near future.
Some of the books I’ve read have already been reviewed on the blog. (Links are included below.) Others will be reviewed soon, so stay tuned for those.
Ancient Runes: Null States by Malka Older
Astronomy: Void Black Shadow by Corey R. White
Arithmancy: One Way by S. J. Morden
Care of Magical Creatures:
Charms: American Gods: Shadow #1-4 by Neil Gaimon, P. Craig Russell, and Scott Hampton
Defense Against the Dark Arts:
Divination:
Herbology: Black Clover Vol. 1 by Yuki Tabata
History of Magic:
Muggle Studies:
Potions:
Transfiguration: Cutie Honey a Go Go! by Go Nagai, Ito Shinpei, and Anno Hideaki
By: Sylvain Neuvel
Release Date: May 1, 2018
Publisher: Del Rey Books
Series: Themis Files #3
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:
There have been few series in recent memory for which I am this excited for when a new volume is released. But a series about giant robots? Yeah, that’s definitely one of them. The Themis Files wraps up with the soon to be released Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel, a story about giant robots and aliens, but also of family, love, and human nature.
By: Fujita
Translator: Jessica Sheaves
Release Date: April 17, 2018
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Series: Wotakoi
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:
Sometimes you come across a manga that just speaks to you. This is true with Watokoi, a manga that has more than a couple of scenes that seem as if they were pulled straight out of my own life. Watokoi: Love is Hard for Otaku by Fujita is an extremely relevant slice of life manga about two otaku who start dating, and a must read for anyone is or has been in a relationship with another otaku.
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