MICHELLE: I usually like manga from Margaret and its spinoffs, so I’ll go with Rainbow Days this week despite knowing absolutely nothing about it. KATE: I second Michelle’s recommendation, and raise it one artbook: I’ll be adding Studio Ghibli: The Complete Works to my cart this week as well. I’m still under the spell of Shuna’s Journey… SEAN: This is the final volume of Hello Melancholic, so I’ll make that my pick. Best to read it while listening to J. J. Johnson. ASH: Sean’s called it with Boat Life—as a fan of alternative manga and manga history, it’s easily my pick this week. In addition to the manga itself, I’m also really looking forward to reading Ryan Holmberg’s accompanying essay.
Dec 5, 2022 • Subscribe
More like this
Pick of the Week: Transformative Pick
SEAN: It’s a relatively quiet week this week, and none of the debuts interest me (Shaman King’s been delayed anyway). As such, I’ll be picking the 2nd volume…
Pick of the Week: Love and Sports
MICHELLE: There’s not much that I’m especially excited about this week. I have enjoyed what I’ve read of Farewell, My Dear Cramer, though, and we don’t get much…
Pick of the Week: Signs and Canvases
SEAN: The last pick before I have to stop getting my manga from my local comic shop for the time being, I am feeling a tad melancholy. I…
Pick of the Week: Cinderellas and Akitas
SEAN: Tempting as it is to go with the manga featuring what looks like the dumbest dog ever on the cover (Lovely Muco), I will instead go with…
Pick of the Week: Journeys and Windows
SEAN: While I realize it may be too bleak for me to actually read, I can’t help but make HIRAETH -The End of the Journey- my pick this…
Pick of the Week: Sports and Wine
MICHELLE: There are several volumes of sports manga coming out this week, which delights me to no end. I will happily read all of them, but my pick…
Pick of the Week: Classic and Modern
MICHELLE: Part of me really wants to pick Marmalade Boy here, as it's one of the first manga I ever read and I have tremendous nostalgic feelings about…
Pick of the Week: Mao and Meow
ASH: While I haven’t read everything by Rumiko Takahashi available in English, I have enjoyed everything that I have, so this week I’m particularly looking forward to giving…
Pick of the Week: Confessions and Titans
SEAN: This may be the first time I’ve ever picked as Pick of the Week a book I not only plan to not read but plan to actively…
Pick of the Week: Love and Cats
MICHELLE: Despite not loving The Wize Wize Beasts of the Wizarding Wizdoms as much as I’d hoped to do, I am still really looking forward to Nagabe’s Love…
Pick of the Week: Guardian and Others
SEAN: I have been hearing about the amazingness that is Guardian: Zhen Hun for years now, so it will be nice to finally see what the fuss is…
Pick of the Week: Yona and Others
SEAN: It’s Jump/Beat week, folks, and once again my pick is Yona of the Dawn, because it remains one of the best manga Shojo Beat is putting out.…
Pick of the Week: Knights and Kings
MICHELLE: There’s so much good stuff coming out this week, though most of it new installments in series in which I’m woefully behind. My heart, however, most goes…
Pick of the Week: Jazz and Josei
SEAN: I try not to do more than one pick per week, but I have to break the rules this time around, as I cannot decide between jazz-tinged…
Pick of the Week: Princes and Nobles
MICHELLE: I don’t know what to expect from Prince Freya, as I haven’t read either of the creator’s series that have been published in English so far. The…
Pick of the Week: Medalists and Househusbands
SEAN: There’s several titles I’m interested in… a new “Peggy Sue Villainess” story, a new We’re New at This sex comedy story, and (of course) a new Urusei…
Drifting Dragons, The Way of the Househusband, Urusei Yatsura, Blue Period
Pick of the Week: Koi and Dragons
MICHELLE: My pick this week is Ima Koi: Now I’m in Love for the very simple reason that I almost always adore manga from Margaret and its offshoots.…
Pick of the Week: Yona and Friends
MICHELLE: There are a few things coming out this week that appeal to me a great deal, not least of which is the latest Yona of the Dawn,…
Pick of the Week: Adults and Knights
SEAN: Even Though We’re Adults. Boy, that was easy. Next? KATE: This week, I’m all about the DRAMA–specifically, romantic drama. I second Sean’s recommendation of Even Though We’re…
Pick of the Week: Phantoms and Food
MICHELLE: I’m not wildly passionate about anything coming out this week, but I did think the first volume of Phantom of the Idol was fun, so this week…
Pick of the Week: Food and Mystery
SEAN: I generally try not to double dip light novels and manga, and the novel this manga is based on is coming out in two months from J-Novel…
Pick of the Week: Vampires and Villainessin’
MICHELLE: I don't have the best track record in terms of actually reading the danmei titles that interest me, but something more modern-day like Peerless is really appealing.…
Pick of the Week: Beginnings and Endings
MICHELLE: I’m excited by all the final volumes out next week. I’m definitely interested to read the conclusions of Ao Haru Ride and The Demon Prince of Momochi…
Pick of the Week: Cages and Fairies
KATE: I won't lie: I love the cover of Soloist in a Cage! Though my inner critic is whispering, "Don't judge this book by the you-know-what," my gut…
Pick of the Week: Performers and Delinquents
MICHELLE: I am, of course, happy to see new volumes of Lovesick Ellie and Giant Killing, but this week I'll pick Delinquent Daddy and Tender Teacher simply because…
Pick of the Week: Friendship and Monsters
MICHELLE: Anything by the author of My Love Story!! automatically receives my endorsement, so it's The Secret of Friendship for me this week! SEAN: I'm very tempted by…
Pick of the Week: Samurai and Kings
KATE: There is SO MUCH GOOD MANGA coming out this week, y'all, I don't know where to begin! VIZ is unveiling two new series with grown-up appeal—Steel of…
Pick of the Week: Farmers and Witches
ASH: I'll have to admit, the releases I'm most excited about are ongoing series like Witch Hat Atelier. That being said, I'm interested enough in the debut of…
Pick of the Week: Dances and Houses
MICHELLE: I’m torn between Wandance and Burn the House Down this week. Sports-adjacent manga versus josei suspense/mystery. I think in the end, Burn the House Down has the…
Pick of the Week: Historical and Horror
KATE: This week's list has several tempting titles! In particular, I'm curious about two debuts: Nude Model and Other Stories and The Blue Wolves of Mibu, both of…
Pick of the Week: Of Mice and Manga
MICHELLE: I have wanted to read The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese for quite a few years, so to me there is really no other choice. ANNA: Me…
Pick of the Week: Pick of the Seven Days
MICHELLE: Confident that Melinda will choose Seven Days, I’ll instead cast my vote for the fifth volume of Farewell, My Dear Cramer. The best part about any sports…
Pick of the Week: Hana-chan and the Picks of the Week
SEAN: There are a lot of debuts, any one of which I should be picking here. That said, the title I’m likely most interested in is the third…
Pick of the Week: We Pick the Riot
MICHELLE: I mean, it’s gotta be Boys Run the Riot. Bonus points for a new volume of What Did You Eat Yesterday, though! SEAN: First of all, an…
Pick of the Week: Old Friends And New
SEAN: There’s always an embarrassment of riches when it’s Viz week. That said, I can see no reason not to pick one of my favorite manga series of…
Pick of the Week: Mirrors, Blessings and Restarts
MICHELLE: I already devoted a pick to danmei, so although I’m definitely happy to see the second volume of Heaven’s Official Blessing, I’ll pick Restart After Growing Hungry…
Pick of the Week: Suzuki, Snoopy and Porsches
SEAN: I've loved Julietta Suzuki ever since the Karakuri Odette days, so my pick this week is definitely the debut of Otaku Vampire’s Love Bite. MICHELLE: "Big same!"…
Pick of the Week: Locks, Beasts, and Newlyweds
MICHELLE: There are a handful of new volumes in series I’ve either started or intend to start, but of course I’m going to pick the new sports manga.…
Pick of the Week: Authors Old and New
MICHELLE: I never did manage to read Mushishi and am excited by the prospect of following a Yuki Urushibara series from the beginning. I don’t know how I…
Pick of the Week: Waves, Sneezes, and Flags
MICHELLE: It’s all about the W’s for me this week. Wotakoi and Whisper Me a Love Song are high on my list, but I’m most excited to continue…
Pick of the Week: Galaxies, Alchemists, and Numbers
MICHELLE: I really enjoyed *Sweetness & Lightning* and have been meaning to check out *A Galaxy Next Door* since its debut. And now it's ending, so I had…
Pick of the Week: Gatherings, Games and Biases
SEAN: I used to obsessively follow Hana to Yume and LaLa titles back in the days when Tokyopop still existed, and as such I'm a sucker for my…
Pick of the Week: Picks New and Old
SEAN: There’s a few debuts that interest me, but I admit by eyes keep getting drawn back to My Hero Academia, in the middle of its most brutal…
Pick of the Week: Ravens, Killers, and Isekai
MICHELLE: I was originally going to pick I’m Kinda Chubby and I’m Your Hero, but a commenter on the Manga the Week of post described the Raven of…
Pick of the Week: Kaiju, Foxes, and Apocalypses
MICHELLE: There are a lot of appealing BL or BL-adjacent works out this week. I need to get caught up on I Think Our Son Is Gay and…
Pick of the Week: Cuties, Spongers, and Magi
SEAN: Not a lot of manga I’m really interested in this week, so my eyes turn to light novels. The Ideal Sponger Life is one of those “don’t…
Pick of the Week: Alices, Gundams and Food
SEAN: Given the recent kerfuffle regarding Seven Seas, it feels awkward to pick a title of theirs for Pick of the Week. But the union has said they…
Pick of the Week: Cats, Brats and Flowers
SEAN: I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep up with it, given it’s over 20 volumes in Japan, but this week the appeal of Cheeky Brat really…
Pick of the Week: Corpses, Cameras, and Househusbands
SEAN: I reviewed the 14th volume of The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service in June 2015, and it is now August 2022. Even by Dark Horse standards, this is…
Pick of the Week: Mimosa, Ramune and Blood
ASH: There are some interesting releases this week, for sure, but I'm more inclined to nab newer volumes of ongoing series rather than any of the debuts. That…