The MJ 2006 Christmas Season Buyers Guide

[Jason]

America is a land of traditions, some old and some new. One of the most widely held traditions is that of Thanksgiving, a day when families get together to celebrate, well, being together, and many a pound of turkey gets eaten. Following up this day of giving thanks is a celebration of something completely different: capitalism. The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday, arguably the single largest sale day of the year, marking the start of the Christmas holiday season. In celebration, I'm delighted to present to you the official Manga Jouhou Buyers Guide for all the manga fans on your shopping list!

MJ Editor Marlex has these suggestions for you:


Title: Kodocha
Mangaka: Miho Obana
Volumes: 10; $9.99 each
Publisher: Tokyopop

From its flashy female lead to its pastel colors covers, Kodocha appears like the perfect gift for that girl in your life, be it your girlfriend or sister, and you’d be right if you said so. But it can also be a great gift for that guy in your life who enjoys a funny, frantic, and, at times, brutally honest story. Kodocha is the tale of Sana, a child actress that spends her days flitting between school, work, and home, finding enough time to deal with her eccentric mother, love struck friends, and the school bully. Don’t let Sana’s zany antics fool you though; Kodocha never takes its characters for granted, delving deep into each one’s insecurities, fears, and desires. As the story unfolds, Sana will have to survive her first crush and first kiss, as well as family issues and long distance relationships. Recommended for girls over 13 and guys who don’t minds reading books with pink covers.



Title: Mahoromatic
Mangaka: Bunjuro Nakayama, Bow Ditama
Volumes: 7; $9.99 each
Publisher: Tokyopop

Suguru is a normal teenager. He goes to school. He has friends. He lives alone. His teacher is constantly trying to seduce him. He has a maid who happens to be a former combat android. Ok, so maybe Suguru is not your average, run of the mill 14-year-old. Mahoromatic begins with Mahoro taking up residence with Suguru as his maid. Although he knows she is an android, she does have two secrets. One involves his father, the other is she only has little more than a year to live. Both will play major roles in their lives as they deal with everything from dinner parties to alien invasions. Mahoromatic is one of those rare series out there that finds just the right mix of action, drama and romance. Although female readers may be turned off by the series’ frequent use of nudity, the fan service ultimately does not detract from one of the most touching romantic couples in manga. Recommended for those guys old enough to handle the nudity and girls who can ignore it.


While MJ Reviewer aznricekid has this to say:


Title: Flowers & Bees
Mangaka: ANNO Moyoco
Volumes: 7; 9.95 each
Publisher: Viz Media

Simply said, this is a title for the ladies and open minded guys. Its the story of a guy on his journey towards becoming a bishounen, in other words, a pretty boy. Because of his two beautiful sisters, he has the craziest personality ever after their daily beatings and whatnot. Quite honestly this is one of the funnier series I've read. You'd think Komatsu (the main character) would actually get somewhere after the first three volumes, but he just falls deeper and deeper into his hole of insanity.

If I haven't made the point yet, Flowers and Bees is hilarious. The kind of comedy in it is a bit more mature, but that only makes it better. The artwork is a bit "out there," but in this case it only makes Komatsu's drastic changes look funnier. This is a pretty obscure title too. Anno Moyoco isn't the biggest name out there and I wouldn't have heard of it myself if a friend hadn't suggested it. Most major bookstores probably won't stock this series anymore. Do whoever you're buying this for a favor and order it off the net for them for Christmas.


When asked for her thoughts, MJ Reviewer and News Guru Floating_Sakura was just brimming with ideas:


Title: Pita-ten
Mangaka: Kage-Donbo
Volumes: 8; $9.99 each (first four volumes come in a box set for $29.99)
Publisher: Tokyopop

While I'm tempted to throw in some of my favorite titles this year like Genshiken or Dokebi Bride on the list, I must confess, those may not be the best gift choices. For me, a good Christmas manga title is something that is able to bring affection to the person you love, keep them fuzzy and warm as they read through it, and leave them with a huge grin by the end of the series. After much consideration and thinking back to the different manga titles that came out this year, I've decided to settle with an older Tokyopop title, Pita-ten by Kage Donbo.

So why is Pita-ten a good gift choice? Well, because you can't screw up with this title! It's cute and sweet but has a well-structured plot that can be read in many different levels. It's something that boys and girls and adults can enjoy alike. It has romance, fantasy and mystery, but above all, a kind-hearted devil and a stalker angel!! Blending with Kage Donbo's gorgeous artwork, it make Pita-Ten the perfect gift choice!



Title: RG Veda
Mangaka: Clamp
Volumes: 10 (currently 7 has been published); $9.99 each
Publisher: Tokyopop

RG Veda is a work based on the holy text of the Hindu hymns, Rigveda. If you think Tezuka's Buddha is awesome, you obviously haven't seen this one! Sure, Tezuka did a wonderful job portraying the tale of Siddharta's life, but Clamp did a much better job transforming what most scholars considered to be the most beautifully written hymns of the Vedic traditions into the most gorgeously drawn and narrated epic story -- the love and hate between the Indian gods and goddesses.

It's too bad that Tokyopop has yet to finish publishing the series, since the ending of this series reveals the greatest lesson of love, which would have been perfect for the holiday. Nonetheless, RG Veda definitely portrays the most captivating artwork I've ever seen; every little detail is properly drawn, inked and shaded. For those Clamp fans out there, this is a must read, the first work published by Clamp and the most well done of them all! As for the non-Clamp fan, this is nothing like any of the other Clamp works and is aimed for a more matured audience. At any rate, I recommend this series for anyone 16 or older, who enjoys a serious story with the most amazing artwork.



Title: Aishiteruze Baby
Mangaka: Yoko Maki
Volumes: 7 (Currently 3 has been published); $8.99 Each
Publisher: Viz Media

Okay, just one more for those shoujo loving boys and girls. This is my favorite shoujo series this year!

Kippei is a playboy who spends most of his time flirting and chasing girls. When his aunt disappeared after his uncle passed away, he was given the task to take care of his five year old cousin, Yuzuyu. As he learns how to raise her and take care of her, he discovers that the girls around him are really quite similar to her.

Beware! This series is so cute and sugar-overdosing! Since words can't describe its cuteness properly, here are a couple sample pages. Enjoy.
http://manganews.net/reviewers/images/aibaby01.png
http://manganews.net/reviewers/images/aibaby02.png


Ever helpful MJ Staffer unfoo42 offers you a different kind of cuteness:


Title: D.N.Angel
Mangaka: Yukiru Sugisaki
Volumes: 11 (and still ongoing); $9.99 each
Publisher: Tokyopop

From the publisher:
Daisuke Niwa is an ordinary, if slightly unlucky, middle school student. On his fourteenth birthday, he comes down with a 'condition' that has plagued the men in his family for three hundred years. When he sees his crush, Risa, he transforms into his alter ego, the phantom thief Dark Mousy. Unfortunately, when Dark Mousy sees his own crush, Risa's twin Riku, he transforms back into Daisuke. The only cure for this craziness is if Daisuke can get Risa to fall in love with him ...

From the foo:
Definitely one of my favorite manga series. Daisuke's life is obviously abnormal, but the way he thinks is like any 14 year old would. I don't know if I thought about crushes at that age, but following Daisuke clumsily trapezing his way through his love life is not only incredibly cute, but an absolute joy to read. The fact that he also transforms into his alter-ego, Dark Mousy, who happens to love flirting, brings a comedic flare to the story as well as adventure. I invite readers of all ages to ride the skies with Daisuke and Dark.

And if manga isn't your style, this title also spawned an excellent anime that is a must-have!
http://www25.advfilms.com/titles/dnangel/
Japanese Companies Involved: Dentsu, TV Tokyo, XEBEC, Victor Entertainment, TV Tokyo Music
US Licensing Company: ADV Films


We pinned down MJ Coder brewthatistrue long enough for him to offer you this:


Title: Battle Angel Alita (aka Gunnm).
Mangaka:Yukito Kishiro
Volumes: 9 for the first BAA series; $9.95 each
Publisher: Viz

Battle Angel Alita is a combination of existentialist angst and a bit of the old ultra-violence. Alita is a cyborg of unknown origin. Rescued from a junk yard of the future by a benevolent scientist for reasons of his own, she welcomes the chance to live again. Although she has no memory, life is tough on Earth's surface, and her instinct for combat is quickly revealed. Searching for meaning and struggling to survive, she finds kindred spirits who hope for a world where common people can hope for a future beyond mere dystopian survival.
http://www.viz.com/products/products.php?series_id=23


While MJ Staffer tradedaemon offers a brief recommendation:


Title: Ouran High School Host Club
Mangaka: Bisco Hatori
Volumes: 9 (and still ongoing); $8.99 each
Publisher: Viz Media

From the Back Cover:
One day, Haruhi, a scholarship student at exclusive Ouran High School, breaks an $80,000 vase that belongs to the "Host Club," a mysterious campus group consisting of six super-rich (and gorgeous) guys. To pay back the damages, she is forced to work for the club, and it's there that she discovers just how wealthy the boys are and how different they are from everybody else.

From tradedaemon:
This is a great manga because it's really funny and isn't a typical shoujo manga, so more people are likely to enjoy it then only a certain group of the populace.


Finally, your humble Editor, Firedog, has a couple recommendations of his own to offer you:


Title: Hellsing
Mangaka: Kohta Hirano
Volumes: 8 (and still ongoing); $13.95 each
Publisher: Dark Horse

Hellsing describes, in lurid detail, the efforts of a mysterious and secret Royal Order of Protestant Knights, led by the Hellsing family, who work to protect the United Kingdom from an endless variety of ghouls, werewolves, and vampires. Their secret weapon in the fight: their own vampire, Alucard, whose power is limited only by his own self restraint and the restrictions imposed on him by his master, Integra Hellsing, head of the Hellsing family. Alucard, arguably the single coolest character in manga today, is joined by a young police girl-turned-vampire, Seras Victoria, a 69-year-old, bad-assed butler, Walter, and a pack of crazy mercs, the Wild Geese, as they work to stop threats ranging from the Vatican Secrete Police, the Iscariot Organization, to the Millennium Organization, a lost battalion full of Nazis intent on destroying England once and for all.

With it's sharp artwork, kick ass characters, and outrageously awesome story lines involving vampires, werewolves, and Nazis, Hellsing is sure to please any guys you have on your shopping list!



Title: Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances
Mangaka: Masami Tsuda
Volumes: 21; $9.99 each
Publisher: Tokyopop

Yukino Miyazawa is a perfect student with perfect manners and a perfect appearance. A perfect person who, as it turns out, is far from perfect. In fact, she works incredibly hard to make herself appear so perfect, something that gets discovered by her arch rival in school, Soichiro Arima, a studious and handsome guy who appears to be as naturally perfect as she pretends to be. He tries to blackmail her, only to have his plan messed up by one simple thing: He's fast falling in love with here, and she with him!

To put it simply, Kare Kano is the high school aged romance manga that all other similar series can be compared to, and found lacking. It's the story of young love that hide deep wellsprings of pathos that must be met and faced for the relationship to survive. Survive it does, despite all tossed in it's way, and the sight of their love making it past each hurdle is like watching a rainbow form after a rain shower. A sizable support cast lends a hand to the two lovers, while dealing with their own issues and couples, and the series is very good at balancing these side characters without making any of them seem like extras.

If you know someone that enjoys romantic manga at all, get them this. They won't be disappointed.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions of your own? Add em!

Wishing you a happy start to the holidays,

Firedog