This weeks weekly round up will be focused on all the manga that I have read in the last week or so. Because I’ve just recently gotten into manga I’m reading a whole bunch of different kinds to try and figure out what I like best. Here we go!
As usual books in blue have been read and books in purple are in progress.
- Hunter X Hunter vol. 1 by Yoshihiro Togashi
- This is a really cute manga about a young boy name Gon who wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a Hunter. In this world Hunter’s are responsible for capturing criminals, searching for treasure, or battling deadly creatures. This first volume sees Gon and friends taking on the Hunter Exam. Not very many wannabe Hunters pass the test each year and they are determined to make it through! I would highly recommend this to anyone that is a fan of series such as Pokemon or Monster Rancher. They all have the group of friends traveling thing going for them and there are strange monsters as well.
- Wish vol. 1 by CLAMP
- Wish is about a man named Shuichiro who finds a cute little angel named Kohaku. To repay his kindness Kohaku grants Shuichiro one wish. The only problem is that he can’t think of anything that he wants! He already has a good job, a nice house, and a loving family. There is nothing that he could possibly need! And so Kohaku ends up staying with him; cleaning his house and watering his garden to repay him. Of course the story does not end there as we find out that Kohaku is actually on Earth sent by God to locate one of the four Master Angels. Will she succeed in her quest to locate the Master Angel? Or will she be stopped by demons? You’ll have to read it and find out for yourself! While this was not one of my favorites this week I did like it and I will be reading the rest of the series (it’s only 4 volumes long).
- Merman in My Tub by Itokichi
- This is a super cute book about a young adult named Tatsumi who finds a merman in his bathtub! The one thing that I loved was all the different characters that appeared through out the book. I’m not 100% sure if I will continue the series though. I liked the book but I feel like there are quite a few books out there right now about mermaids and mermen. They seem to be very popular right now.
- Mermaid Boys by Sarachiyomi
- More mermaids! This book is about a young merman who sees a human on the shore and saves her from drowning. After that episode he falls in love with her. In order to go on land and be with her he gets tricked into making a deal with a sea witch to trade some of his good looks for legs. Stop me if you’ve heard this story before. This is a gender flipped Little Mermaid and if you know the story of the Little Mermaid you’ll pretty much know where this story is going. The artwork was very cute but I’m not going to be continuing this series. There were a few tweaks to the original story of the Little Mermaid but not enough to keep me interested.
- Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 1 by Kafka Asagiri
- This was one of my favorites that I read this week! It had a very interesting premise that I had never seen before so I was excited to try it out. The story starts with a young boy named Atsushi who has been kicked out of the orphanage where he was staying and he is now wandering the streets being hunted by a huge tiger! (yes, a tiger) He saves a man name Osamu Dazai from a suicide attempt and this man ends up saving him as well. You’ll have to read the book to find out how! I would recommend this to anyone who likes a book with a supernatural twist and a great story.
- Your Lie in April Volumes 1-4 by Naoshi Arakawa
- This book is about a young boy who used to play the piano and compete in competitions. It seems like a pretty straight forward story as you start the series but as more of the backstory unfolds you begin to see the heartache. I thought this was just going to be a general slice of life story about a kid playing the piano but it is so much more. Kosei Arima was a childhood piano prodigy that suddenly stopped playing the piano at what seemed like the height of his career. As the story unfolds we find out that his mother is very strict about his piano practicing and his performances. The more you read the more that you find out that she was more abusive than anything. But you also see how much Kosei wanted to please her. She is sick and in his child’s mind he equated him playing well and pleasing her with her getting better. I won’t spoil for you how the story goes on or what (if anything) happens to Kosei’s mother. There are of course plenty of other characters that appear through out the story as well. The story is very well written and the art style is gorgeous. The characters are also some of the most complex that I have seen in a manga. Most of them are children but they all have distinct and well rounded personalities. I always love when authors have children be three dimensional characters! I’m very excited to see where the story will go after volume 4. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.
- Barakamon Volumes 1-4 by Satsuki Yoshino
- This is a great series about a calligrapher name Seishuu Handa that moves from Tokyo to a small island on the western edge of Japan. He moves “temporarily” (so he says) to clear his head and work on his calligraphy skills in the quiet town. All he wants to do is work in the peace and quiet. That doesn’t exactly go as planned. Once he’s arrived in town he is set upon by the children in the town. Mostly by the energetic and adorable Naru. She becomes his teacher in all of the small town island ways. He unwilling begins to hang out with all of the children in town and they, in turn, teach him how to relax and get out of his head. This is a very cute slice of life series. There are lots of great characters and the story is just fantastic. I would highly recommend this series to anyone that wants a nice light read.
That’s it for this post! I could keep going for ages about all the great manga books that I’ve read this week but this post is already over 1000 words! Stay turned for next week and I’m sure there will be plenty more books and reviews for you all! If you want to say hi send me a tweet at @jillpill90. See you all next week!
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