Weekly Recon, 5/14/08

If you’re still solvent after last week’s tsunami of new manga, this week may send you straight for bankruptcy court, with dozens of great books headed your way. The list cants heavily towards continuing series like Basara (Viz), Flame of Recca (Viz), Samurai Deeper Kyo (Tokyopop) Sgt. Frog (Tokyopop) and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles (Del Rey), but also features such noteworthy newcomers as Kamisama Kozuko (Go! Comi) and Toto! The Wonderful Adventure (Del Rey).

My top picks for Wednesday:

Blood+, Vol. 2 (Dark Horse): This brooding vampire tale adopts a kitchen-sink approach to plotting, mixing military conspiracy theory with teen angst and a healthy dose of monster-slaying. The results are oddly compelling; if anything, Blood+ demonstrates that it’s entirely possible to fashion something new and exciting out of shopworn ideas. If you’re a fan of the anime, you’ll notice a few discrepancies between the manga and the TV show. The biggest difference is Saya herself. As depicted in the manga, Saya is feisty, loyal, and only a little hesitant to embrace her destiny as a human weapon—a big improvement over her shrill, conflicted persona in the anime.

Shoulder-A-Coffin, Kuro, Vol. 1 (Yen Press): The story is a take-it-or-leave-it proposition; some may find the art too cutesy for the rather serious subject, while others may find the story ill-suited to the set-up/punchline rhythms of 4-koma format. For the otaku in search of an offbeat read, however, Kuro offers a unique and satisfying blend of humor, whimsy, and melancholy.

Toto! The Wonderful Adventure, Vol. 1 (Del Rey): Yuko Osada’s boisterous romp reads like a mash-up of One Piece and Castle in the Sky, complete with a flying ship, a cute animal sidekick, a spunky heroine, and a band of pirates on the run from the authorities. The artwork has a loose, sketchy feel that nicely complements Toto’s breezy tone. And while the story is positively elemental when compared with many shonen series, its simplicity allows Osada to focus more on characters and plot and less on superpowers and backstory—a decided plus.

Ultimate Venus, Vol. 1 (Go! Comi): Like Ai Morinaga, Takako Shigematsu has a knack for spicing up a stock shojo premise—say, a showbiz melodrama—with liberal amounts of black humor and sexual tension. In Ultimate Venus, Shigematsu’s point of departure is the My Fair Lady makeover, in which a handsome Henry Higgins surrogate teaches a klutzy young woman how to comport herself among the rich and famous. Or in this case, two hot linguists teach a klutzy young woman how to talk and walk like a lady. Eliza Doolittle should be so lucky!

Yakitate!! Japan, Vol. 11 (Viz): Every volume of Yakitate!! Japan doggedly adheres to the same basic recipe: one part competition, one part risqué humor, one part yeasty puns, and one part wacky hijinks. Kazuma Azuma and the Pantasia gang are always the underdogs at a world-renown bread-baking tournament, only to pull off a stunning victory on the strength of one of Kazuma’s more outlandish creations—but not before a new, ridiculous opponent (often in a mask or outré costume) announces his intent to outbake them. All of this amounts to predictably good fun, even if the fanservice gets a little out of hand at times. Haven’t tried Yakitate!! yet? Read the first two volumes, then sample at will—you won’t have difficulty figuring out what’s happening.

One final note: from now until May 18th, RightStuf is running a promotion on current and future Tokyopop manga, novels, and tie-in products (i.e. The Fruits Basket Sticker Book). Books are 33% off the cover price; click here for the coupon code. Full shipping list after the cut.

SHIPPING THIS WEEK
AEGIS, Vol. 6 (NETCOMICS)
Aria, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Basara, Vol. 27 (Viz)
Battle Club, Vol. 6 (Tokyopop)
Blood+, Vol. 2 (Dark Horse)
Chibi Vampire, Vol. 8 (Tokyopop)
Cy-Believers, Vol. 2 (Go! Comi)
Delivery Cupid (DMP)
Demon Flowers, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
Endless Rain (DMP)
Flame of Recca, Vol. 27 (Viz)
Foxy Lady, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Get Backers, Vol. 24 (Tokyopop)
GTO Early Years Shonan Junai Gumi, Vol. 7 (Tokyopop)
Guin Saga, Vol. 4: Prisoner of the Lagon (Vertical, Inc.)
Harukaze Bitter Pop, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Hayate the Combat Butler, Vol. 7 (Viz)
Honey Senior Darling Junior, Vol. 2 (NETCOMICS)
Kamisama Kazoku, Vol. 1 (Go! Comi)
Kanna, Vol. 4 (Go! Comi)
Kedamono Damono, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
King of Cards, Vol. 4 (CMX)
Kingdom Hearts II, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Kingdom of the Wind, Vol. 1 (NETCOMICS)
Love Mode, Vol. 9 (BLU Manga)
Love Pistols, Vol. 5 (BLU Manga)
Mammoth Book of Best New Manga, Vol. 2 (Carroll & Graf)
Manga Sutra Futari H, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Parasyte, Vol. 3 (Del Rey)
Passionate Two-Face, Vol. 2 (NETCOMICS)
Pet on Duty (Broccoli Books)
Prince Charming, Vol. 3 (DMP)
Project Arms, Vol. 19 (Viz)
Rave Master, Vol. 28 (Tokyopop)
The Record of a Fallen Vampire, Vol. 1 (Viz; click here for the PCS review)
Red String, Vol. 3 (Dark Horse)
Renai Sousa Love Control, Vol. 1 (DMP)
Rozen Maiden, Vol. 8 (Tokyopop)
Samurai Deeper Kyo, Vol. 28 (Tokyopop)
Sgt. Frog, Vol. 15 (Tokyopop)
Shoulder-A-Coffin, Kuro, Vol. 1 (Yen Press; click here for the PCS review)
Switch, Vol. 2 (Viz)
Togari, Vol. 6 (Viz)
Toto! The Wonderful Adventure, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Trinity Blood, Vol. 6 (Tokyopop)
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles, Vol. 17 (Del Rey)
Two Will Come, Vol. 2 (NETCOMICS)
Ultimate Venus, Vol. 1 (Go! Comi)
VB Rose, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
White Night Melody, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Wild Adaptor, Vol. 5 (Tokyopop)
Yagyu Ninja Scrolls: Revenge of the Hori Clan, Vol. 3 (Del Rey)
Yakitate!! Japan, Vol. 11 (Viz)