10 Jan, 2009

Picks of the Week, 1/14/09

By: Michelle Smith

Wow, look at all that shojo-y goodness! Viz is getting all my money this week.

Love*Com, Vol. 10 is the latest installment in a series I enjoy very much, about tall Risa dealing with the feelings she develops for her vertically-challenged friend. We’ve talked about it a lot here at Manga Recon and it continues to be a good read.

High School Debut, Vol. 7 is also on my list; I think I love this series even more than Love*Com! The best thing about it is that we actually get the boy’s point-of-view of the relationship, and one can really see why these characters like each other. I voted for this series as Best New Series of 2008!

NANA, Vol. 14. Oh, NANA. You break my heart every time, but still I love you so.

We Were There, Vol. 2. I really liked volume one, and am looking forward to seeing what’s next. The art’s a little weird in this story, but I like the quirky protagonist.

Sand Chronicles, Vol. 4. The first two volumes of this series were fabulous, and though the third wasn’t quite as awesome, I by no means intend to give up on this series. Especially since volume three ended on a cliffhanger!

Skip Beat!, Vol. 16. I find Skip Beat! to be a lot of fun. It’s pretty remarkable that this far in, the leads still aren’t a couple and it doesn’t feel like an artificial delaying tactic. The portrayal of Kyoko’s slow rise through the business is also nifty.

Prince of Tennis, Vol. 29. I am actually pretty behind in this series, but will soon embark on a marathon read, which can sometimes be immensely satisfying with shonen manga. Prince of Tennis is occasionally silly—like all the hangers-on who seem to exist only to call out named moves—but it’s a guilty pleasure.

Someday I’ll be doing the same with Whistle!, but I’m not collecting those volumes just yet, so volume 21 will have to wait.

Those are my picks for this week. How about you? Did I leave off any you’re interested in? Reply below and let me know!

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4 Responses to "Picks of the Week, 1/14/09"

1 | Melinda Beasi

January 11th, 2009 at 8:40 am

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You know I’m not able to buy much manga right now, but NANA is one of those series I’ll skip a day’s meals for if necessary, so that’s definitely at the very top of my picks! :) You keep making me want to read High School Debut, and one day I will probably cave. I’ll be interested to see what people think of Heaven’s Will, too.

Actually, I also have to mention Black Cat 18! Black Cat is one of the most enjoyable shonen series I read, and I often don’t give it enough due, especially now that I’ve traversed so far into shojo territory.

2 | Michelle Smith

January 11th, 2009 at 1:09 pm

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You should read High School Debut!

3 | there it is, plain as daylight. » Monday morning links!

January 12th, 2009 at 9:51 am

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[...] a couple of Manga Recon links: Michelle posted her Picks of the Week over the weekend, including NANA volume 14 (*heart*) and a whole slew of other fantastic shojo [...]

4 | Reading Over Shoulders

January 16th, 2009 at 11:13 am

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[...] Picks of the Week.  I completely love and can’t afford to purchase, at least half of the recommended series.  [...]

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