Satoko and Nada
Satoko and Nada means well and looks unusual for manga. Created by Yupechika, it’s the story of two college roommates in America. Satoko is Japanese, and Nada is a Saudi Arabian Muslim who wears a...
View ArticleOrange: The Complete Collection
After giving up on Ichigo Takano’s Dreamin’ Sun, I thought I’d try their Orange, because I was intrigued by the time travel aspect. (There’s a mini-boom in these “what if I knew then what I know now”...
View ArticleOtherworldly Izakaya Nobu Volume 3
Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu volume 3 is another enjoyable entry in the series about modern Japanese restauranteurs serving their cuisine to medieval Germans. Reading it is a comfortable escape, with lots...
View ArticleOur Dining Table
Our Dining Table was a satisfying, if not particularly memorable, bit of comfort reading. It doesn’t do anything exceptional, but the notes it hits make up a nicely blended tune. The story is quietly...
View ArticleOtherworldly Izakaya Nobu Volume 4
Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu volume 4 continues to be entertaining and delightful. I thought, with the previous book, that we’d be seeing longer stories at this point in the series, but I was glad to see...
View ArticleI Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up
I was in the mood for some light manga that resembled a rom-com, so I was looking forward to trying I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up. The premise is in the title: Machi agrees to marry...
View ArticleA Man and His Cat
A Man and His Cat by Umi Sakurai adds a comfortable, enjoyable volume to the growing list of cat manga published in the US (of which the best-known are Chi’s Sweet Home and FukuFuku: Kitten Tales)....
View ArticleCherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! Volume 1
I was tickled by the concept of Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! when a fellow comic club member (hi, Rachel!) told us about it. Basically, office worker Adachi turns 30...
View ArticleBL Metamorphosis Volume 1
BL Metamorphosis is a charming, low-key manga about how friendship can develop based on shared interests, regardless of how different the friends might otherwise be. It’s a lesson I’ve learned myself,...
View ArticleA Man and His Cat Volume 3
It’s around this time in a manga series with a relatively simple premise — a widower who’s tired of life finds comfort in an older cat that no one else wanted and enjoys the basics of having a pet —...
View ArticleMy Brother’s Husband Volume 2
My Brother’s Husband volume 2 concludes the short, inspirational manga series by Gengoroh Tagame. Mike is still visiting Yaichi and his daughter Kana. (Mike was married in Canada to Yaichi’s twin...
View ArticleMakeup Is Not (Just) Magic
A Manga Guide to Cosmetics and Skin Care by Ikumi Rotta Learning makeup through manga is a great idea — the visuals in Makeup Is Not (Just) Magic provide a terrific format for illustrated guides and...
View ArticleA Man and His Cat Volume 4
Umi Sakurai continues to build out this world, balancing moments of substantial emotional depth with scenes of cute cat behavior with universal appeal. A Man and His Cat volume 4 follows up from the...
View ArticleOtherworldly Izakaya Nobu Volume 8
I haven’t written about this series in a while, but I’ve kept enjoying it. It’s a quiet pleasure, particularly as we continue to rotate through moments in the life of its recurring cast of customers...
View ArticleNijigahara Holograph
Continuing Fantagraphics’ program of bringing notable manga to English in deluxe presentations — titles so far include important historical shojo The Heart of Thomas and Moto Hagio’s Drunken Dream as...
View ArticleRock and Roll Love
The artist who calls herself Misako Rocks has reissued her quasi-autobiographical Rock and Roll Love (previously released by Hyperion in 2007). It’s about her trip to the US as an exchange student,...
View ArticleMy Brother’s Husband Volume 1
Gay characters have been portrayed in manga in a variety of ways. The best-known approach takes place in the yaoi genre, which concentrates on physical interactions and is aimed at women. My Brother’s...
View ArticleOtherworldly Izakaya Nobu Volume 1
Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu is a charming, relaxing series about how good Japanese food is. Adapted by Virginia Nitouhei from a light novel by Natsuya Semikawa and character designs by Kuriri, it’s the...
View ArticleOtherworldly Izakaya Nobu Volume 9
I’m impressed that as the Otherworldly Izakaya Nobu series has continued, our knowledge of the recurring cast has allowed for stories that move beyond delicious food to more subtle explorations of...
View ArticleA Man and His Cat Volume 5
A Man and His Cat volume 5 was much more dramatic than I expected — or maybe wanted. I like this series by Umi Sakurai because seeing a lonely older man and an overlooked cat find each other was...
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