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Greetings, and welcome to 2011! It’s a new month, and a new month means new manga. So pull out your pre-order forms and let’s get crackin’! Let me do the work for you and pick out some of the best upcoming titles in January’s Diamond Previews catalog. All quoted product descriptions are from Previews unless otherwise noted.

Kris’s Pull List

Bride of the Water God volume 8, by Mi-Kyung Yun. “Ambiguous loyalties, vengeful old flames, and the schemes of jealous gods fill Bride of the Water God volume 8 with heartbreak and intrigue! After Soah is kidnapped from the magical land of Suguk, Habaek – the cursed, lovelorn Water God – is forced to reconcile long-suppressed feelings Nakbin, his dead bride, with strong, new yearnings for Soah. While some gods sought to charm and win over the human Soah, the current emperor of the gods wants to charm Habaek in order to confuse and entrap the elemental deity. Using shape-shifting ploys and magical charms, the emperor convinces Habaek that Nakbin is still alive and deserving of his full devotion. Will Habaek be able to see through the emperor’s cruel and creepy deceptions before Soah is lost to him forever?” From Dark Horse, May 2011, $9.99.

Skip Beat! volume 23, by Yoshiki Nakamura. “Chiori’s rage threatens the whole production when she lashes out and hurts Kyoko. Kyoko is used to overcoming obstacles, and she uses her injury as an excuse to push Chiori into exploring her acting. Will focusing on the dark side of her character bring it all rushing back?!” From Viz Media, April 2011, $9.99.

House of Five Leaves volume 3, by Natsume Ono. “Just as Masa is settling into his new life as part of the Five Leaves, the gang’s spy, Matsukichi, vanishes. After discovering that the reticent Matsu’s disappearance is linked to an unresolved difficulty in his past, Masa decides to try to help him.” From Viz Media, April 2011, $12.99.

Black Butler Season 1 Part 2, from FUNimation. Features the second half of the first series (episodes 13-24). March 2011, $59.99.

Evangelion 2.22: You Can (Not) Advance, from FUNimation. The rebuild of the rebuild of Evangelion, this is the sequel to Evangelion 1.01: You Are (Not) Alone. March 2011, $29.99 on DVD, $34.99 on BR.

Also from Dark Horse Comics:

The Sky: The Art of Final Fantasy, by Yoshitaka Amano. Attention Comic Attack staff: if any of you would like to get me a belated Christmas present, you are more than welcome to pull together and get this for me. Amano is one of my favorite artists, and I would love this set for my shelf. Unfortunately, it’s quite pricey. This set of five books includes three softcover books with art from Final Fantasy I-X; All About Yoshitaka Amano, a book containing an interview, bibliography, and an index for all the art included in the set; an acetate print; two postcards; and a motion flipbook. It’s any Amano fan’s dream collection. May 2011, $129.99.

From Digital Manga Publishing:

Yellow 2 Episode 2, by Makoto Tateno. “Straight and macho Taki, partners with feminine and gay Goh, to form an expert team of bandits hired by the police to steal from the mafia. Their unrequited love with genre-bending trimmings of action and suspense.” March 2011, $6.95 (60 pages).

Countdown Days volume 1, by Karakara Kemuri. “Onigawara Hanasuke finally realized that he had died – when Mitamura, a dark haired glasses guy from ‘another world’ told him so. Shocked and saddened from the news…but Mitamura lets him in on a little trick – that he could revive himself. Sounds like a great story but in exchange, asks him to help Mitamura to find someone and he only has 7 days to do it…” March 2011, $12.95.

Itazura na Kiss volume 5, by Kaoru Tada. “‘I want to become a doctor.’ Naoki has finally found what he wants to do with his life. But when Mr. Irie suddenly collapses, Naoki is forced to step into his father’s shoes as head of the company. Wanting to help Naoki as much as she can, Kotoko not only throws herself into domestic duties at home, but even forces her way into Naoki’s workplace by getting her old office job back! With eyes only for Naoki, Kotoko spares no effort to assist…although she’s a one woman disaster for everyone else…” March 2011, $16.95.

Replica volume 1, by Karakara Kemuri. “While trying to find a job, Manji, a for-hire bodyguard, also known as ‘Akainu (Red Dog)’, meets Karu who works for ‘CARDS’. Discovering that Karu’s mission is to exterminate the deadly ‘TOYS’, which mindlessly attack any living thing, Manji can’t help but forcefully tag along to relieve his boredom…” March 2011, $12.95.

The Beautiful Skies of Houou High volume 1, by Arata Aki. “Kei, a cute tomboy, is so happy and excited […] that she had just gotten accepted to an all-girls high school. And she has a ‘little secret’ – she likes girls… But when her mother finds out about her ‘little secret’ she knew just exactly what to do – enroll her in an all-boys school!” March 2011, $12.95.

From Kodansha Comics:

Ghost in the Shell volume 2, by Shirow Masamune. “Kodansha publishes the long-awaited sequel to Shirow Masamune’s groundbreaking The Ghost in the Shell, one of the most highly anticipated graphic novel events in many years, and one of the most ambitious and complex stories ever told in the manga format.” $26.99.

From Tokyopop:

Karakuri Odette volume 6, by Julietta Suzuki. “The touching robot romance comes to a thrilling conclusion as Travis insists that he wants to make Odette his bride.” April 2011, $12.99.

Also from Viz Media:

Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura volume 1, by Arina Tanemura (The Gentelmen’s Alliance). “Sakura is the granddaughter of a mysterious moon princess who slew demons with her Blood Cherry Blossom sword. All her life Sakura has been forbidden to look at the full moon without knowing why. Then one night, unhappy over her impending marriage, Sakura gazes up at the moon, only to see a demon attacking her…” April 2011, $9.99.

Blue Exorcist volume 1, by Kazue Kato. “Raised by Father Fujimoto, a famous exorcist, Rin Okumura never knew his real father. One day a fateful argument with Father Fujimoto forces Rin to face a terrible truth – the blood of the demon lord Satan runs in Rin’s veins! Rin swears to defeat Satan and becoming an exorcist himself. Can Rin fight demons and keep his infernal bloodline a secret?” April 2011, $9.99.

Cross Game volume 3, by Mitsuru Adachi. “It’s time for Ko and the other misfit Portables to either put up or shut up. If they lose against the varsity players, they’ll be kicked off the baseball team forever. But will a newbie like Ko be good enough to take on an elite squad of recruits?!” April 2011, $14.99.

Itsuwaribito volume 2, by Yuuki Iinumai. “In the forest, Utsuho, Dr. Yakuma and the talking tanuki Pochi encounter a psychotic man who hunts liars and cuts out their tongues. How can Utsuho outwit someone who can psychically tell when someone’s lying?” April 2011, $9.99.

March Story volume 2, by Kim Hyung-min and Yang Kyung-il. “Working out of Rodin’s antique shop, March and the powerful yet compassionate Ciste Vihad Jake travel the land purging the Ill wherever they find them. Although some types of Ill may possess a tragic innocence, the most terrifying Ill are spawned within the darkest depths of human wickedness, and it will take all of March’s strength to face them.” April 2011, $12.99.

Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys volume 14, by Naoki Urasawa. “As the entire planet grieves over the death of their beloved Friend, the remaining members of his inner circle continue to silence any and all dissenters. Dream Navigator Takasu belives that once they locate Kiriko – Kanna’s mother and Kenji’s older sister – Manjome Inshu will finally be in a position to control the entire world.” April 2011, $12.99.

From Vertical Inc.:

Tezuka’s Black Jack volume 15, by Osamu Tezuka. From Amazon: “A Life to Live: Black Jack is called in to treat a young flower arrangement master. The talented artisan is suffering from acute porphyria which is impacting her digestive and nervous system. Given her current condition she cannot even stand to be in sunlight; as it often induces fainting spells, hallucinations and seizures. For an artist who focuses on light and life, to not be able to use sunlight to bring life to her art the ikebana master almost believes she has no life to lead. However with every new piece that she creates there is no doubt to her mentors that life itself is worth living. And if she survives she might have a life-changing decision to make about her career.
A Star is Born: In a rare chapter where Black Jack does not perform an operation, the good doctor must treat a previous patient’s heart and soul. Award-winning actress Igusa Suginami says she owes all her success to the treatment she received from BJ years ago. Since she had her operation she feels she has been blessed by a god of luck and is now ready to embark on the biggest performance of her life…She wants to confess her feelings to Dr. Black Jack. Sadly the doctor does not recognize Igusa the superstar. He says he treated Chika the young singing talent with ambitions of making it big with her skills. Their reunion does not appear to be destined as the next big romance; instead it might end up becoming a tragedy for the ages.” March 2011, $16.95.

Twin Spica volume 6, by Kou Yaginuma. “When Japan’s first attempt at manned space exploration ended in tragedy, a nation went into mourning, sending ambitions of hopeful astronauts crashing. Now, more than 15 years later, a new generation of young space travellers has emerged from the wreckage of the first Lion Program to rekindle mankind’s dream to conquer space. The celebrated and brilliantly received series continues at a gripping pace as a difficult atmosphere re-entry simulation triggers memories the youths had kept under wraps.” March 2011, $10.95.

From Yen Press:

Bunny Drop volume 3, by Yumi Unita. “A middle-aged bachelor adopts a little girl when she is rejected by the rest of his family. Returning to his family’s estate for his grandfather’s funeral, thirty-something bachelor Daikichi is floored to discover that the old man had an illegitimate child with a much younger lover! The rest of the family wants nothing to do with the little girl. In a fit of angry spontaneity, Daikichi decides to adopt her! But is living with an overgrown teenager who can barely take care of himself the key to making Rin come out of her shell?” March 2011, $12.99.

Nabari no Ou volume 6, by Tuhki Kamatani. “When Thobari and Kouichi learn that Miharu has joined the Grey Wolves, they resolve to ask him why and whether he has really turned against them. Before they get an opportunity to talk any more, the guest shinobi are all attacked by Koga ninja. Raimei learns from one of them that one of the teachers that ordered them to capture the Banten is the Grey Wolf shinobi.” March 2011, $11.99.

Time and Again volume 5, by Ji-un Yun. “This gorgeously illustrated historical fantasy/horror tale follows the adventures of a wandering exorcist and his bodyguard. When the person you promised to love forever dies, what would you do? When your life ends when your beloved has departed this world, what can take its place? With a glimpse of Beak-On’s past revealed, the cycle of hatred and love continues.” March 2011, $10.99.

Misc.:

Japanese Fantasy Manga, by Ali Ueda. “Japanese Fantasy Manga is one of the first books to fully examine the cross-cultural overlap between Japanese manga and Western fantasy characters. This comprehensive guide identifies characters that appear in fantasy manga by notable features, mythological origins, and of course a stunning, full-page illustration. Organized into three chapters )Characters, Vocations, and Superpowers), this volume will fully flesh out the most popular characters and themes in fantasy manga today.” From Collins Design, May 2011, $26.99.

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood part 4, from FUNimation. The new retelling of the popular series continues with episodes 40-?? (info not found at time of publish). March 2011, $49.99 on DVD, $54.99 on BR.

Vampire Knight: Guilty volume 1, from Viz Media. The first volume of the second Vampire Knight series continues the story of Cross Academy, where humans and vampires share a school campus. Contains episodes 1-4, March 2011, $19.99.

That’s it for this month, except for a really nice looking Bleach statue of Ichigo…if you’ve got the $400+ to spend on it.

Kris
kristin@comicattack.net
@girlg33k_Kris