Scarcely have Fun Dolls and Cute Dolls taken America’s bookstores by storm—leaving a swath of French knots, yarn clippings, and tangled thread from lesser craft books in their wake—than the nation’s craft community have begun screaming, “MORE!” Before you take up your knitting needles, Gorilla Glue, and ergonomic scissors to storm the Vertical offices, America’s “cute”-est company presents Cute Stuff. Aranzi Aronzo—the mischievous duo who revolutionized crafting with their combination of “cute” and “attitude”—have created a tome of tempting techniques for creating everything from key rings to tissue covers styled with the snarky whimsy you’ve come to love and expect. Cute Stuff won’t hit your favorite book purveyors until March, but the Vertical crew is nothing if not sympathetic to the needs of its faithful readership, so we’ve provided an incredible sneak peek complete with actual instructions for making “Long Doll” bags.

Click here to make a “Long Doll Bag.” For further information on Aranzi Aronzo, you may wish to read the following PCS reviews:

• Aranzi Machine Gun
• The Cute Book
• Cute Dolls
• Fun Dolls

Cute Stuff will be available on March 25, 2008.

Best Books of 2007: Erin’s Picks

AWESOME ARTBOOKS

• Akira Club (Dark Horse): This is a really cool art book. It calls out individual panels like your own little Akira art gallery.
• The Art of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: Watercolor Impressions (Viz): A lot of art books are over-priced, but this $35 watercolor volume is a really great release. Concept watercolors for animated feature films are just beautiful, whether it’s Nausicaä or Fantasia. (Click here for Kate’s review.)

NOVELS OF NOTE

• Brave Story (Viz): Marketed as Young Adult fiction, Brave Story is also for adults. It’s an impressively thick book which I am not done reading. (Click here for Kate’s review.)
• The Guin Saga, Vol. 1 (Vertical, Inc.): I just started this book, and it seems like pretty solid fantasy. I’m not sure I’d keep reading it for 114+ volumes, but it’s interesting to sample it.
• Kamikaze Girls (Viz): I’m working on a time machine so I can send this book to my high school self. (Click here for Erin’s review.)
• The Twelve Kingdoms, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop): This book was so different from the anime series, and I wish I could’ve read it when I was in high school. (Click here for Erin’s review.)
• Welcome to the N.H.K. (Tokyopop): This is the number one translated novel I want to read (next). I really liked the anime and manga series, and I want to read the source material.

Best Books of 2007: Kate’s Picks

Boy (Takeshi Kitano, Vertical, Inc.): These deceptively simple stories chart three boys’ journeys from adolescence to adulthood. Each story focuses on a different character in a moment of transition: one boy copes with his mother’s impending remarriage, for example, while another tries to impress a girl who’s out of his league. Though the terrain is familiar, Kitano does a superb job creating distinct voices for each of his teenage protagonists, capturing their hopes and fears without a whiff of sentimentality.

Dragon Sword and Wind Child (Nariko Ogiwara, Viz): An engrossing, once-upon-a-time tale that borrows liberally from Shinto mythology. With elegant, pen-and-ink illustrations and an idiomatic translation that just begs to be read aloud to someone, Dragon Sword is a terrific fantasy for anyone who wants to know, “What do I read after Narnia? Or Harry Potter?” (Click here for Kate’s review.)

Fun Dolls (Aranzi Aronzo, Vertical, Inc.): A craft book for those of us who wouldn’t be caught dead making curtains, scrapbooking, or scouring the yard for a Thanksgiving centerpiece. Though the projects are too complex for n00bs, the bizarre photo essays and subversive doll concepts make it a great read: what’s not to like about a DIY book with instructions for making plush coffee cups, panda bees, and unmotivated kids? (Click here for Kate’s review.)

Japan-Ai: A Tall Girl’s Adventures in Japan (Aimee Major Steinberger, Go! Comi): An entertaining travelogue documenting the misadventures of a six-foot-tall American woman in Japan. Highlights include a chapter devoted to the Takarazuka Revue’s history and peculiar fan culture and a chapter focusing on the VOLKS factory, where the world’s most coveted ball-jointed dolls are made. So kawaii it hurts. (Click here for Kate’s review.)

Manga: The Complete Guide (Jason Thompson, Del Rey): A handy resource for anyone who reads manga, whether you own dog-earred floppies of They Were Eleven or just started collecting Naruto. The book provides a brief summary of every manga every released in English (take a minute to contemplate just how many books that is) as well as stats near and dear to any otaku’s heart, i.e. total number of volumes released in America and Japan. You won’t find any manwha or OGM titles, but with over 900 reviews and 20+ sidebars exploring various subgenres, but you’ll be too engrossed in the reviews to notice. (Click here for Erin’s review.)

One final note: beginning this Sunday, every Weekly Recon column will include a brief index listing the anime and manga reviews from the previous week. Show some love for my fellow bloggers Carlos Alexandre, Erin F., and Ken Haley by clicking on the links below and posting feedback (friendly dissent encouraged).

REVIEWED LAST WEEK:
Full Metal Panic Novel: Fighting Boy Meets Girl (Tokyopop); Godchild, Vol. 7 (Viz); Mushi-Shi, Vols. 2-3 (FUNimation); Nana, Vol. 7 (Viz); Phantom, Vols. 1-3 (Tokyopop); S.A. (Special A), Vol. 1 (Viz)

REVIEWED THIS WEEK:
Cute Dolls and Fun Dolls (Vertical, Inc.); The Palette of 12 Secret Colors (CMX)

SHIPPING THIS WEEK:
Apothecarius Argentum Vol. 3 (CMX; click here for a review of volume 1)
Appleseed, Vol. 1: Promethean Challenge (Dark Horse)
Avalon High Coronation, Vol. 1: Merlin Prophecy (Tokyopop)
Blade of the Immortal, No. 131 (Dark Horse)
Case Closed, Vol. 20 (Viz)
Gold Digger, No. 90 (Antarctic Press)
Gold Digger II: Pocket Manga, Vol. 2 (Antarctic Press)
Gold Digger Sourcebook: The Official Guide to the Gold Digger Universe, No. 11 (Antarctic Press)
Japanamerica: How Japanese Culture Has Invaded the US (Macmillan)
Kamui, Vol. 9 (Broccoli Books)
Kekkaishi, Vol. 11 (Viz; click here for a review of vols. 1-9)
Manga Mania: Occult and Horror (Watson-Guptill Publishing)
My Dearest Devil Princess, Vol. 1 (Broccoli Books)
Ninja High School: Hawaii Pocket Manga, Vol. 5 (Antarctic Press)
The Palette of 12 Secret Colors, Vol. 1 (CMX; reviewed below)
Pirates vs. Ninjas II: Up the Ante, No. 5 (Antarctic Press)
Puri Puri, Vol. 3 (DrMaster; click here for a review of volume 1)
Reptilia (IDW Publishing)
SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, Vol. 7 (DrMaster)
Stray Little Devil, Vol. 5 (DrMaster)
Wizard Anime Insider, No. 51

Cute Dolls and Fun Dolls

By Aranzi Aronzo
Vertical, Inc., 80 pp. each

Whether you’ve dedicated an entire room in your house to “crafting” or break out in hives at the mere mention of gimp, it’s hard to deny the weirdly winsome appeal of Aranzi Aronzo’s DIY books. The latest—Cute Dolls and Fun Dolls—offer over 120 pages of patterns and step-by-step instructions for making three-dimensional versions of your favorite Aranzi friends. Cute Dolls focuses on Aranzi’s most popular characters, from the super-kawaii Brown Bunny, Grey Cat, and Munkey to the less cuddly Fish and Kidnapper, while Fun Dolls features patterns for new characters: Panda Bug (a cross between a bumble bee and a panda bear), Coffee Cup (just what it sounds like: an anthropomorphic mug), and Unmotivated Kid (my personal favorite).

Both books earn high marks for presentation. The instructions are complemented by clear illustrations demonstrating how to assemble the dolls, while the paperback binding and 8″x 10″size make it easy for would-be seamstresses to photocopy patterns. Since I nearly flunked Home Economics, it’s almost impossible for me to assess the skill level necessary for completing these projects. (True story: I stitched my shirt to the sewing machine, requiring a shears-of-life rescue from the instructor.) So I sent my review copies to someone who is handy with a glue gun and a felting needle: my younger sister Claire, an Aranzi fan and Etsy seller who can work magic in almost any medium. Her verdict? Though the instructions are easy to follow, novices and young kids may find these projects too complicated to be fun; anyone with sewing skills, however, will be cranking out Striped Dogs and Spritekins with ease. (Gee, I wonder what I’m getting for Christmas this year?)

No matter what your skill level, anyone can enjoy the books’ subversive humor. In the introduction to Cute Dolls, for example, White Bunny vocalizes every crafting novice’s worst fear when she exclaims, “You’ll suffer terribly if you don’t read this first? Scary!” And then, of course, there are the dolls themselves. I can’t imagine an American expert encouraging youngsters to sew blank-faced layabouts or trench-coat wearing kidnappers; such unwholesome characters would inspire censorious outrage from humorless adults. But it’s this mischievous, poking-fun-at-the-grownups tone that makes Aranzi Aronzo books such a welcome addition to the hobby aisle at your local Borders, and a perfect gift for the crafty friend who’s grown weary of making the holiday centerpieces and Halloween costumes in Martha Stewart Living and Better Homes and Gardens.

Cute Dolls and Fun Dolls will be available in bookstores on November 21st.

The Palette of 12 Secret Colors, Vol. 1

By Nari Kusakawa
CMX, 188 pp.
Rating: E (Everyone)

This delightful, all-ages title has something for everyone: appealing characters, adorable animals, pirates and high-seas adventure, magic, and a hint of G-rated romance. The story focuses on Cello, a wizard-in-training. Cello attends a unique academy on the tropical island of Opal, where students study to become palettes, or color magicians. Each palette learns how to borrow color from Opal’s exotically hued birds and “paint” objects with those colors. Alas, Cello is a poor study and frequently stains herself the same bright pink as her beloved bird Yoyo, earning herself numerous trips infirmary to restore her proper skin tone and hair color. Over time, she befriends the academy’s doc-in-residence Guell, a grumpy but good-natured palette who always gets swept up in Cello’s misadventures, whether thwarting a group of poachers or tutoring a group of precocious tots.

Though the stories have considerable charm, there’s a big drawback to The Palette of 12 Secret Colors: it’s monochromatic, making it difficult for readers to distinguish “blue” swatches from “yellow” or “pink” ones. Working with this limited color scheme, Nari Kusikawa does muster some visual pizzazz, populating Opal with a comical assortment of birds of varied shapes, sizes, and temperaments. She’s also created a terrific heroine in Cello, whose relentless optimism and powerful but unrefined technique seem better suited for a shonen tournament series than a cute shojo romance. Cello is a refreshing change of pace from the typical self-doubting, wishy-washy magical girl, and The Palette of 12 Secret Colors is all the better for her brash confidence and unkempt appearance.

Volume one of The Palette of 12 Secret Colors will be available on November 21st.

REVIEWED THIS WEEK:

• Brave Story (Viz)
• The Cute Book (Vertical, Inc.)
• Kanna, Vol. 1 (Go! Comi)
• Narration of Love at 17, Vol. 4 (NETCOMICS)

SHIPPING THIS WEEK

• The Bad Book (Vertical, Inc.)
• Blade of the Immortal, #129 (Dark Horse)
• Cherry Juice, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
• Chibi Vampire Novel, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
• The Cute Book (Vertical, Inc.)
• Dark Moon Diary, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
• Demon Flowers, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
• Emma, Vol. 5 (CMX)
• Eureka Seven, Vol. 6 (Bandai)
• Fantamir, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
• From Eroica With Love, Vol. 10 (CMX)
• Full Metal Panic Novel, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
• Hibiki’s Magic, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
• I Luv Halloween, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
• I.N.V.U., Vol. 4 (Tokyopop)
• Kamen Tantei, Vol. 4 (Tokyopop)
• Karma Club Novel, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
• Kilala Princess, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
• Ordinary Crush, Vol. 1 (DMP)
• Path of the Assassin HC, Vol. 1 (Dark Horse)
• Path of the Assassin, Vol. 7 (Dark Horse)
• Pearl Pink, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
• Phantom, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
• Poison Candy, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
• Samurai Deeper Kyo, Vol. 24 (Tokyopop)
• Star Trek, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
• Takumi-Kun, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
• Welcome to NHK, Vol. 4 (Tokyopop)

Brave Story (novel)

By Miyuki Miyabe
Viz Media, 824 pp.

Brave Story begins in present-day Tokyo, where eleven-year-old Wataru Mitani lives with his parents. Though they appear to be an ideal family, Wataru’s father is deeply unhappy and abandons his wife and son for a mistress. Wataru is left to cope both with his own feelings and with his unstable mother, who vacillates between rage and suicidal depression. Just as he’s about to succumb to despair himself, Wataru is transported to the magical realm of Vision. There, Wataru learns that he can change his fate by finding the Tower of Destiny and pleading his case before Vision’s creator, a.k.a. the Goddess. Determined to salvage his broken family, Wataru embarks on a punishing journey through Vision, acquiring, in the process, a powerful sword and fiercely devoted posse of fanciful creatures.

Miyabe may shamelessly pilfer scenes from other sources, but she populates her tale with sympathetic characters, putting them in situations that reflect the complexities of adult life. Her heroes and villains alike are motivated by selfish desires; even Wataru, whose rationale for seeking the Goddess is to reunite his parents, comes to see that his dearest wish is really a fearful, self-interested one. The artlessness of the prose, however, undermines the subtlety of Miyabe’s observations. In chapter sixteen, for example, Wataru arrives in the city-state of Lyris to discover that its non-human members are confined to shantytowns and subjected to harassment. Just in case we didn’t see parallels between Lyris and, say, 1980s Johannesburg (or 1960s Birmingham, for that matter), Miyabe includes this helpful exchange:

It sounded like South Africa during apartheid. “Are there other kinds of discrimination in daily life here? Like separate facilities for different races?” Wataru asked.
Toni’s eyes opened wide. “There sure is. How did you know?”
“I know of a similar situation in another place,” Wataru replied. I saw it in a movie once.

Long as it may be, passages like this one give ample evidence that Brave Story won’t be confused with War and Peace any time soon. (For the record, the English edition of Tolstoy’s book clocks in at 1,472 pages, nearly 450 more than Brave Story.) Miyabe’s dark fantasy is best described as a Frankenbook, stitched together from pieces of EverQuest, The Guin Saga, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and The Wizard of Oz to create an entertaining, surprisingly adult adventure story whose seams sometime show.

Brave Story is available now.

The Cute Book

By Aranzi Aronzo
Vertical, Inc., 48 pp.

OK, OK… technically speaking, The Cute Book, Vertical’s first Aranzi Aronzo release, made its bookstore debut in February. But this is the first time it’s shown up on the Midtown shipping list, so I’m including The Cute Book in this week’s column for those of you who missed it the first time around.

Who are Aranzi Aronzo? Contrary to their website’s introductory page, they are not globetrotting, tambourine-playing salarymen of Norwegian and Vietnamese extraction, but two sisters from Osaka who have made careers of peddling cute-but-edgy products. Their empire includes retail stores in Tokyo and Taipei, a booming online business, and a series of craft books that are equal parts manga and DIY manifesto. The Cute Book, one of seven Aranzi titles that Vertical has licensed for the US market, features step-by-step instructions for fashioning critters out of materials easily obtained at your local art supply store. Sounds straightforward enough, but there’s an undercurrent of weirdness running through the text that’s almost impossible to describe. Imagine a Hello, Kitty! craft book penned by Junko Mizuno, and you have some idea of the tone.

The true measure of any how-to book is the ease of the instructions, and The Cute Book scores big points for its user-friendliness. Throughout the book, directions are supplemented with traceable patterns, photographs, and clear illustrations demonstrating a variety of useful knots and stitches. For those of us who find the typical Better Homes and Gardens craft project daunting (“Spruce up a picture frame with some old wrapping paper and a glue gun!”), the authors have included needle-less shortcuts. I’m not 100% certain what I’ll do with the flock of felt sheep I’ve begun making—at my age, festooning gloves and hats with googly-eyed animals is bound to raise a few eyebrows—but perhaps I can give them to my Australian shepherd. She needs a job, after all!

Portions of this review appeared in the July issue of Chopsticks. The Cute Book is available now. A tip: to post pictures of your handiwork or preview other books from the Aranzi Aronzo series, visit Vertical’s Aranzi homepage.

Kanna, Vol. 1

By Takeru Kirishima
Go! Comi, 180 pp.
Rating: OT (16+)

It’s a safe bet that Kagura, the slacker-protagonist of Kanna, won’t be adding a “World’s Greatest Dad” mug to his collection anytime soon. At the beginning of the story, Kagura can barely take care of himself as he works a part-time job and attends cram school. His life takes an unexpected detour into fatherhood, however, when he finds a seven-year-old girl asleep in his bed. Much to his frustration, the poor moppet doesn’t speak enough Japanese to explain who she is, how she arrived in Kagura’s apartment, or why she refers to him as “Daddy.” It doesn’t take long for Kagura to realize that Kanna (said moppet) is in imminent danger from powerful, supernatural forces. (The high body count at the diner where he busses tables provides an important clue.) With a demon hot on their trail, the two set out for Kagura’s hometown to seek assistance from his former girlfriend, now a priestess at the local shrine.

The most disturbing scenes in Kanna don’t involve monsters or flying body parts, as one might imagine, but some loli-flavored interactions between Kanna and one of Kagura’s acquaintances, who has an unhealthy interest in cute little girls. I’m with David Welsh on this one: I find these scenes just plain icky. Equally off-putting is volume one’s choppy execution. Takeru Kirishima makes little effort to connect his scenes with smooth transitions. Instead, the book reads like a series of hyperlinked web pages: Click here to learn who Kanna’s real parents are. Click here for a scene of gratuitous kiddie cosplay. And so forth. Minus the loli slapstick, Kanna might be guilty pleasure—think Yotsuba&! meets Kami-Kaze—but as written, this moppet vs. monster manga is about as much fun to read as a Linux manual.

Volume one of Kanna is available now.

Narration of Love at 17, Vol. 4

By Kyungok Kang
NETCOMICS, 184 pp.
Rating: Teen (13+)

Narration of Love at 17 is a refreshingly honest soong-juhn (shojo) story about one high schooler’s struggle to make friends and make sense of complicated feelings for a childhood playmate. Seyoung, the heroine, is a normal seventeen year old. She’s bright, but not exceptional; pretty, but not a head-turner; and talented, but not outstanding. For several years, Seyoung has been a member of the drama club, relegated to backstage roles while the beautiful Hyemi lands the plum parts. Seyoung views Hyemi as a threat to her friendship with Hyunwoo, Seyoung’s neighbor and confidante. As Hyunwoo and Hyemi grow closer, Seyoung is forced to make a choice: will she continue to rely on Hyunwoo, and hope that he will eventually reciprocate her romantic feelings, or will she forge new friendships and assert her independence?

Good shojo depends on the “truthiness” (to borrow a word from Stephen Colbert) of its characterizations, and on that front author Kyungok Kang succeeds beautifully. Her primary characters seem like flesh-and-blood teenagers with their quicksilver moods, intense passions, deep insecurities, and ever-changing social allegiances. On the strength of Kang’s storytelling, I’d give Narration of Love at 17 an A minus, but the dated artwork may hamper some readers’ enjoyment of the series. The characters’ eyes, hairstyles, and elongated bodies owe a debt to shojo pioneers Moto Hagio and Keiko Takemiya—not necessarily a bad thing, as both Hagio and Takemiya are accomplished draftsmen. But Kang’s character designs lack the elegant refinement of Hagio’s and Takemiya’s; the cast of Narration looks awkward and snouty, especially when viewed in profile, and have such androgynous faces that I found certain characters hard to distinguish from one another when viewed up close. If you’re willing to forgive some clumsy art, however, you may well find Narration of Love at 17 an engaging antidote to the numerous harem comedies and vampire love stories aimed at teenage manga fans.

The fourth and final volume of Narration of Love at 17 is available now. To read the first chapter online for free, click here.

This week marks the debut of two new shonen series, Gin Tama and Strawberry 100%, as well as the concluding volume of Bisco Hatori’s charming vampire rom-com Millenium Snow, a new installment of Hatori’s popular Ouran High School Host Club, a new volume of Cromartie High School, and the final chapter in the Death Note saga. (Here’s hoping that Light Yagami meets a better end than Tony Soprano!) Also new on shelves this week: the latest installment of Eisner-nominated After School Nightmare and the sure-to-be-Eisner-nominated Apollo’s Song. The queen of the scene, however, is a green-haired naïf who finds swings, air conditioners, and social niceties bewildering. That’s right�Yotsuba is back in all her oddly-punctuated glory. If you haven’t yet discovered the joys of this gentle comedy about an eccentric little girl who might just be an alien, now is a great time to start reading Yotsuba&! The series is episodic, so you don’t need to backtrack to volume one to follow the plot or familiarize yourself with its appealing cast of characters (though the first three volumes are highly recommended).

Reviewed This Week:

• Aranzi Machine Gun, Vol. 1 (Vertical, Inc.)
• Gin Tama, Vol. 1 (Viz)
• Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs, Vol. 3 (Viz)

Shipping This Week:

• After School Nightmare, Vol. 4 (Go!Comi)
• Apollo’s Song (Vertical, Inc.)
• Aranzi Machine Gun, Vol. 1 (Vertical, Inc.)
• Banya the Explosive Delivery Man, Vol. 4 (Dark Horse)
• Banzai Girl, Vol. 1 (Arcana Studios)
• Black Cat, Vol. 9 (Viz)
• Cromartie High School, Vol. 11 (ADV Manga)
• Death Note, Vol. 12 (Viz)
• Gin Tama, Vol. 1 (Viz; reviewed below)
• Great Figures in History: Einstein (YKids)
• Great Figures in History: Gandhi (YKids)
• Great Figures in History: Marie Curie (YKids)
• Gunslinger Girl, Vol. 4 (ADV Manga)
• Her Majesty’s Dog, Vol. 5 (Go!Comi)
• Hunter x Hunter, Vol. 15 (Viz)
• I”s, Vol. 14 (Viz)
• Kon Kon Kokon, Vol. 1 (Broccoli Books)
• La Corda d’Oro, Vol. 4 (Viz)
• Let’s Draw Manga: Yaoi (DMP)
• Literary Classics Series: Little Women (YKids)
• Literary Classics Series: Treasure Island (YKids)
• Little Crybaby (DMP)
• Love Recipe, Vol. 1 (DMP)
• Megaman NP Warrior, Vol. 12 (Viz)
• Millenium Snow, Vol. 2 (Viz)
• Moon & Sandals, Vol. 2 (DMP)
• Ninja High School Class Reunion Special (Antarctic Press)
• Othello (DMP)
• Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 9 (Viz)
• Picnic (DMP)
• Prince of Tennis, Vol. 20 (Viz)
• Reborn, Vol. 4 (Viz)
• Seimaiden, Vol. 9 (CMX)
• Skip-Beat, Vol. 7 (Viz)
• Strawberry 100%, Vol. 1 (Viz)
• Tower of the Future, Vol. 7 (CMX)
• Train + Train, Vol. 3 (Go!Comi)
• Ultimate Muscle, Vol. 17 (Viz)
• Witchblade Takeru Manga, No. 5 (Image/Top Cow)
• Wizard Anime Insider, #46
• Yotsuba&!, Vol. 4 (ADV Manga)

Aranzi Machine Gun, Vol. 1

By Aranzi Aronzo
80 pp., Vertical, Inc.

The ladies of Aranzi Aronzo have built a thriving business selling products and craft books that star cute critters with a hint of ‘tude. This slim, 80-page book features their most popular characters in a variety of comic strips and photo essays. It also includes a 20-page appendix with detailed instructions for making felt applique bunnies, chicks, deer, and crabs. (Crabs?!) There’s no overarching story or concept; each segment of Aranzi Machine Gun is best understood as a riff on cuteness. Some are amusing, some are puzzling, and some sound like Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy.

As with all Vertical publications, the production values are first-rate, from the arrestingly cute cover design to the quality paper stock. The translation, too, deserves special mention both for capturing the essential weirdness of the Aranzi universe and for rendering the instructions in clear, idiomatic English. (If only IKEA felt compelled to do the same�) Given Aranzi Machine Gun’s short length and emphasis on characters over crafts, some hobbyists may find The Cute Book more to their liking. But if you’re just discovering Brown Bunny and Liar, or are seeking a midpoint between the kawaii extremes of Hello, Kitty! and Junko Mizuno, this oddly amusing little book might do the trick.

Volume two of Aranzi Machine Gun arrives in stores in July. To view sample pages, learn more about Aranzi Aronzo, or share pictures of your Aranzi-inspired creations, click here.

Gin Tama, Vol. 1

By Sorachi Hideaki
206 pp., Viz
Rating: 16+

I’ve read my share of “alternative history,” but I’ve never seen anything quite like Gin Tama. Manga-ka Sorachi Hideaki starts from a humdinger of a premise: what if a race of cat-faced aliens had arrived in Uraga Harbor on July 8, 1853 instead of Commodore Matthew Perry? In Hideaki’s version of the Meiji Era, the alien invaders have infiltrated the Bakufutu, disarmed the samurai, and transformed Edo into an intergalactic spaceport more disreputable than Mos Eisley. Toiling away at one of Edo’s many cantinas is Shinpachi, a young samurai who’s been forced to hang up his sword and shutter his late father’s dojo. A dust-up between a human customer and an alien ambassador introduces Shinpachi to a brash ronin named Sakata “Gin” Gintoki. Through a series of mishaps and miscommunications, Shinpachi loses his job, forcing him to team up with Gin to make money. Mayhem ensues as the two accept a variety of thankless gigs, from tracking down an alien prince’s monstrous pet to delivering a suspicious package to an intergalactic embassy.

Although Gin Tama has a boffo premise and smart, stylish visuals, the story often feels labored and frantic. None of the series’ running gags are particularly funny, nor are the meta-referential jokes that point out weak plot twists and out-of-character moments. (“No way!! This set-up is straight out of a manga!” Shinpachi declares as a train barrels down on him.) What keeps Gin Tama afloat are the characters. Hideaki creates a rogue’s gallery of unemployed samurai, preening aliens, and ineffectual policemen with memorable mugs and outsized personalities to match. (My hands-down favorite: Mrs. Otose, Gin’s chain-smoking, tough-talking landlady. It’s a role that Qiu Yuen was born to play.) These characters add visual interest and life to every panel, keeping the reader invested when the stories stall.

Volume one also contains Hideaki’s first published work, “Dandelion,” a short story about “yakuza angel thugs” who help spirits cross over to the other side. The concept isn’t exactly novel, but Hideaki does a splendid job of lampooning gangster movies (not to mention manga of the I-help-dead-people variety) while throwing in a few tender (yet unsentimental) exchanges between a dead man and his wife of fifty years. It’s worth a look, even if you don’t cotton to Gin and Shinpachi’s over-the-top adventures.

Volume two arrives in stores in September.

Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs, Vol. 3

By Yukika Sakuragi
216 pp., Viz
Rating: 16+

If Barbara Woodhouse or Cesar Milan read manga, Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs would be their favorite series. Why? Well, Yukika Sakuragi’s comedy preaches the gospel of responsible pet ownership, reminding readers that dogs require love, guidance, and good veterinary care at every stage of their lives. While that might not sound like a compelling basis for a manga, Sakuragi is a surprisingly good storyteller who makes her lessons integral to the plot. She never shies away from the less appealing aspects of dog ownership�illness, accidents, death�but treats them as an essential part of the dog-human compact. She’s also a terrific artist, rendering the denizens of the Woofles pet shop in AKC-approved detail, right down to their pleading eyes and wet noses.

Sakuragi is less effective, however, when her stories move beyond the canine-centric world of Woofles. In the first volume, for example, she concocts a meet-cute situation for her lead characters�Suguri, a teenager with an uncanny ability to sense what dogs want, and Teppei, the owner of the Woofles pet shop�that strains credulity with its excessive reliance on coincidence and Suguri’s naivete. Volume three has a few groan-inducing subplots as well, as Suguri takes a job at a host club to supplement her income from Woofles. The episode eventually tackles the unsavory question of where pet stores get their puppies, but not before subjecting readers to another credulity-straining bout of coincidence and a totally gratuitous catfight between two host club employees. (All in the name of apricot poodles, no less!) Still, it’s hard not to enjoy Inubaka for the thing it does best: celebrating the unique bond between dogs and humans. Clearly it’s a message that resonates with Inubaka’s fans, as readers all over Japan sent Sakuragi pictures of and stories about their dogs. Viz has collected and reprinted some of these pooch pics at the end of volumes two and three for other dog otakus �and I count myself among them�to enjoy. Now that’s omake worth begging for!

Volume four arrives in stores in August. To read a short excerpt from volume one, click here.