Our Favorite Books of 2007

No, this isn’t the list you’ll find in the New York Review of Books, The Times Literary Supplement, or even your local newspaper. Below is a quick run-down of our favorite J-themed books and translated novels from 2007.

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.)