First of all, let's announce this year's Holiday Giveaway winner: A Sea of Reads, with some very diverse selections:
Two of my favourite new-to-me series were Summit of the Gods and Birds of Shangri-la.
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Sadly, a lot of Denpa's releases for this year got caught up in Covid-related delays. Thankfully, we did eventually get this charming little one-shot from a shojo manga legend, showing us a very different side of her works just in time for Christmas.
LIL' LEO (Leo-kun), by Moto Hagio. First published in 2007 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
Leo is an adventurous little tabby cat. He'll go to school, work at a job, and even try to become a movie star in order to pursue his curiosity (and maybe get a treat out it).
Speaking of child-like imagination, one of my personal favorites of the year was this modern take on a classic 80s magical girl anime.
MAGICAL ANGEL CREAMY MAMI AND THE SPOILED PRINCESS (Mahou no Tenshi Creamy Mami: Fukigen no Ohime-sama), based on the original series by Studio Pierrot with art by Emi Mitsuki. First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
For years, Ayumi Megumi has been the star idol of Parthenon Productions. Her position is challenged when a mysterious new girl known only as Creamy Mami makes her debut. Megumi is not about to take this challenge to her fame lying down, but how can she counter someone who seems so positively magical?
Christmas is a time of childish wonder and imagination, which is fitting considering that's the focus of the book we're reviewing today.
HANA-CHAN AND THE SHAPE OF THE WORLD (Hana-chan to, Sekai no Katachi), by Ryotaro Ueda. First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
In a small town somewhere in the Kansai countryside lives Hana and her friends. Their days are often spent wandering through the countryside as they try to tally the town's cats, get lost in a flood, or witness what happens in the middle of a typhoon.
Today's title was not just a powerful story about a trans teen, but also one of the most anticipated and critically acclaimed titles of the year, manga or otherwise.
BOYS RUN THE RIOT (Boizu Ran za Raiotto), by Keito Gaku. First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
Ryo Watari is a teenage trans boy unable to confide in anyone: not his classmates, not his best friend/crush Chika, not even his own mother. The only time he doesn't feel miserable is when he dresses up in his favorite street clothes and gets to look like the boy he wants to be. It's during one of those outings that he runs into Jin Sato, the tough kid who's repeating the grade. Jin soon takes Ryo under his wing in the hopes of creating a fashion brand that allows them both to express themselves as they see fit.
I could have done an entire month's worth of reviews just of yuri manga just from 2021 - that's how popular the genre has become. I've got room for just one more this year, so let's make it a good one.
A WHITE ROSE IN BLOOM (Meijirobana no Saku), by Asumiko Nakamura. First published in 2017 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
Ruby is a lively high school at an elite European private school, one who gets caught up in the mess of her parents' failing marriage and ends up stuck at school over Christmas break. It's during that time that she's forced to interact with Stephanie Nagy, a frosty but beautiful senior girl. Their relationship becomes the talk of the school, much to the displeasure of them both. Yet whe Ruby needs to pass a scholarship test to stay at the school, Stephanie is the only person she can turn to.
Thanks to the runaway success of My Next Life as a Villainess, otome-based isekai stories are more popular than ever. Eventually, creators started to ask "why would I want to become the villainess when I could date her instead?"
I'M IN LOVE WITH THE VILLAINESS (Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou), based on the light novel series by Inori., with character designs by Hanagata and art by Aonoshimo. First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
Rei had previously been just another overworked office lady, one whose only outlet for fun was playing the otome game Revolution. One day she nodded off only to find herself within the world of the game in the role of the protagonist Rae Taylor. Now she's determine to follow her heart and win the affections of her favorite character: the haughty blonde villainess Claire Francois.
I can't believe it took this long into the isekai manga trend for someone to think "what would happen if one of these doofus actually came back to the real world?"
UNCLE FROM ANOTHER WORLD (Isekai Oji-san), by Hotondoshindeiru. First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
In the year 2000, Takafumi's uncle was hit by a truck. He spent the next 17 years in a coma. Now Takafumi is stuck with a middle-aged Sega otaku who claims that he spent that time in another world, one full of magic, cute girls, and adventure. Takafumi is skeptical, but what if his uncle was telling the truth?
That being said, we got A LOT of isekai manga this year. For every year this trend drags on, it seems the stories only get stranger, more specific, and worse than ever before.
DUNGEON TOILET (Isekai no Toilet de Dai wo Suru), by ROOTS. First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
Yotaro was previous just another ordinary Japanese high school boy, albeit one with an obsession with toilet trivia and his own bowel movements. Now he's trapped in a fantasy world with only Gigi the elf and Nurael the mage to help him, but his biggest concern remains finding the best and most comfortable ways to take a crap wherever he goes.
Fantasy stories continue to dominate the modern manga market, although today's review is one of the latest and most atypical of this year's offerings.
FREIREN: BEYOND JOURNEY'S END (Soso no Furiren), written by Kanehito Yamada with art by Tsukasa Abe. First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
Once upon a time, Frieren the elven mage joined a group of adventurers in order to defeat the Demon King. They succeeded, and afterwards they spent the next decade helping others. Eventually the group split up, promising to meet up again.
Decades later, at the funeral of the leader of the group, Frieren decides to seek out her surviving compatriots and figure how their lives and actions have impacted others.
Of course, you can work with horrific ideas and make them fun and charming. Just look at this series, for example.
DAI DARK (Dai Daku), by Q Hayashida. First published in 2019 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
Zaha Sanko is just a teen boy, but it is said that anyone who possesses his bones will be granted any wish they please. Zaha has no idea how this curse was put upon him, but together with his backpack-like associate Avakian he will use the powers of the dark flesh to find the answer and defend himself. Along the way he'll meet a woman who feasts upon the souls of the dead, a three-headed space pirate and savor the goodness of a meatball spaghetti sandwich.
Horror manga can take all sorts of forms. Take today's review, where we look at a series that mixes horror, food and romance into an uneasy combination.
SACHI'S MONSTROUS APPETITE (Ano Hito no I ni wa Boku ga Tarinai), by Chomoran. First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
Makie is a lonely boy, and one of the few people who soothes that loneliness is Sachi, a neighboring high school girl. He works up the courage to give her a home-baked treat, but in the process he discovers Sachi's secret: she is a watari, an inhuman creature that must consume other watari to survive. He soon finds himself drawn into Sachi's world, as the two share Makie's homemade bentos and a burgeoning relationship. Yet Sachi's hunger is never fully satisfied, and as the two get closer she finds it harder and harder to suppress her natural urge to consume.
Horror manga has taken off in a big way, and the man at the forefront of this trend has been Junji Ito. It's been too long since we've covered one of his books on this site, so let's take a look at one of his latest tales.
SENSOR (Muma no Kikou), by Junji Ito. First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
Kyoko Bakuya was simply hiking around the volcanic Mount Sengoku when it happened. The skies were filled with strange golden hairs, which led her to a village who saw them as a blessing from a martyr. Kyoko survives an eruption from the nearby mountain, which left her with gleaming golden hair and powerful psychic abilities. She soon becomes the target of nosy reporters, curious scientists, and wanna-be cult leaders, all of whom want Kyoko for their own purposes.
J-Novel Club spent this year churning out another steady stream of iseskai light novels and manga. Most of the time their titles don't capture my attention (with the exception of 'every time a new volume of Ascendance of a Bookworm comes out'), and it's sad that because of that I almost missed out on this title.
THE ENGAGEMENT OF MARIELLE CLARAC (Marielle Clarac no Konyaku), based on the light novel series by Haruka Momo , character designs by Maro, and art by Alaskapan. First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
Marielle Clarac is the mousy daughter of a low-ranking nobleman, one who recently became engaged to the stern, serious Lord Simeon. Marielle couldn't be more thrilled, as she is secretly a best-selling romance novel who uses the intrigues of the nobility as inspiration for her books. She can imagine all sorts of dramatic scenarios, but not even her vivid imagination could imagine that her fiancee might know (and love) more about her than she knows.
Nonetheless, of the few shojo series to get any hype, this was by far the one with the most acclaim (and it's easy to see why).
A SIGN OF AFFECTION (Yubisaki no Renren), by suu Morishita. First published in 2019 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
Yuki is a college girl who is enjoying herself, despite the challenge of navigating the world while deaf. She's introduced to fellow college student Itsuomi on the train and she's just as fascinated by his handsome looks as she is by his knowledge of other languages and world travels. As their friendship grows and Itsuomi poses some interest in learning sign language, Yuki starts to wonder if her stronger feelings are something real and substantial or merely as transient as the falling snow.
I don't want y'all to think I'm a prude, though. There was a perfectly good (and educational!) manga from this year that's literally all about sex.
SEX ED 120% (Seikyoiku 120%), written by Kikiki Tataki with art by Hotomura. First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
Naota Tsuji is a physical education teacher who is also tasked with teaching her students about health and sex-ed. She finds the textbooks deeply lacking, particularly where topics relevant to women are concerned, so she takes upon herself to get in-depth on topics ranging from contraception to masturbation. Her students are eager to learn, much to the eternal mortification of the school nurse Nakazawa.
As the American shojo market slowly but surely embraces its hornier side, it becomes more susceptible to trends from outside of the manga world, as this title unfortunately proves.
BITE MAKER: THE KING'S OMEGA (Bite Maker: Ou-sama no Omega), by Miwako Sugiyama. First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
In this world, humanity can be divided into three separate groups: alphas, betas, and omegas. Alphas are not just impossibly beautiful beings. Their intense hormones can drive people into a horny fury and a single word from their mouth can command them. Betas are ordinary people, who can be affected by the alphas but otherwise go about their days and enjoy normal relationships. Omegas are the rarest, who also possess strong hormones that drive not only betas crazy but the only people able to bear the children of an alpha.
Noel is an omega who desperately tries to hide her status. Her secret is revealed when she meets Nobunaga, a haughty young alpha boy. From this moment on, the two find themselves helplessly drawn to one another as Noel is forcibly drawn into Nobunaga's elite world.
Even Shojo Beat was willing to get a little raunchier than usual this year with titles like this one.
YAKUZA LOVER (Koi to Dangan), by Nozomi Mino. First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
Yuri's ready to find herself a boyfriend, but she refuses to settle for just any loser. By chance she meets Toshiomi Oya, the second-in-command of the local yakuza clan. He's captivated by her beauty and fiery temper and she in turn finds herself drawn to his good looks, elegant manner, and dangerous allure. Their passion for one another cannot be contained, but can their love withstand the perils that Toshiomi must face on a regular basis?
Fanservice can take all sorts of shapes, though. Often it's attached to round, bouncy girls, but sometimes it's indulging in a fantasy where penguins can become tall, strapping men who serve you drinks and penguin trivia.
PENGUIN GENTLEMEN (Penguin Shinshi), by Kishi Ueno. First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
At a club somewhere that's not quite Japan there is a club staffed by a group of eccentric, handsome gentlemen. No one would suspect that these same men are in fact actual penguins who deliver lots of facts about their respective species and habits along with their trays of champagne.
There were also plenty of titles trading in pure unadulterated fanservice, although most of them were not quite as literal about this as this title.
SUPER HXEROES (Dokyu Hentai Eguzerosu), by Ryoma Kitada. First published in 2017 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
For some time now, the insectoid Kiseichuu have been ravaging the earth, trying to destroy humanity by sapping their lustful feelings. The only defense against them are the HXEROES team, a group of teens who can weaponize their youthful horniness into alien-busting attacks. Their leader is Retto Enjo, who is currently struggling to redefine his relationship to his prudish childhood best friend Hoshino Kirara. Then Hoshino discovers not only Retto's secret, but that her own power might exceed his own.
Sports manga continue to thrive and I'm really glad it has because otherwise we might not have gotten a title like this one, even if it's digital-only.
MEDALIST (Medarisuto), by Tsurumaikada. First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
At 26, Tsukasa's career is at an impasse. He wanted to be a figure skater as a teenager, but ended up getting pushed into ice dancing and never quite did well enough to go pro. He's unsure of what to do with his life until he meets Inori. She's a fifth grader who has mastered many of the basics on her own, but her lack of confidence and fear of failure hold her back from voicing her desire to become a skater. Tsukasa decides to become Inori's coach, helping her to refine her talents and achieve her dream of being an Olympic skater.
Weekly Shonen Jump manga continue to dominate the American manga market, although most of the really successful ones were titles that were continuing from last year (if not earlier). One of the few notable debuts was the return of one of the magazine's most popular creators.
BURN THE WITCH, by Tite Kubo. First published in 2020 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
Noel and Ninni are two up-and-coming witches in the alternate world of Reverse London. Their job is handle the harmless dragons that provide their world with everyday resources. Then Noel's classmate Balgo is attacked by two different dark dragons. Now he's cursed with the ability to draw dragons to him. When they aren't cleaning up the messes Balgo creates, they're trying deal with the leaders of their world who are convinced that Balgo is too dangerous to keep alive.
Of course, not every story aimed at young men from this year was so action-packed. Sometimes it was about more cozy fantasy, like a hot widow who only wants to feed you good home cooking.
BEAUTY AND THE FEAST (Yakumo-san wa Eduke ga Shitai), by Satomi U. First published in 2016 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
Yakumo Shuko was a young widow with little to occupy her days until Shohei moved in next door. He's a high school boy living on his own while attending a local school on a baseball scholarship, largely subsisting off school lunches and convienence food. Yakumo starts inviting Shohei to her apartment for dinner, something that reignites her love of cooking and eases both their loneliness. As Yakumo learns more about Shohei, the more their unlikely friendship starts to change...
Let's kick things off with some old-school manga. Seven Seas has been spoiling us a little with some of their recent announcements of classic manga, including works like this from a long-neglected creator.
SUPER SENTAI: HIMITSU SENTAI GORENGER by Shotaro Ishinomori. First published in 1975 and first published in North America in 2021.
PLOT:
The Black Cross Army is a nefarious secret society that steals the political and technological secrets of the world for profit and to stoke discord and strife. The only defense against their evil plans is EAGLE, who have brought together five young people and given them special battlesuits that allow them to fight whatever evil Black Cross can throw at them.
