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The 2011 Great Manga Holiday Gift Guide!
It’s that time of year once again. The season of giving. Time to find out who’s been naughty or nice. Thankfully, there are a variety of manga series that appeal to folks who’ve been good all year or just a bit bad. In collaboration with the 2011 Great Manga Gift Guides, it’s time to present Manga Therapy’s 2011 Great Manga Holiday Gift Guide!
Here are a few manga titles that I feel make great gifts for readers.
Blue Exorcist (Volume 1-5+) by Kazue Kato, VIZ Media
Does it make sense that I have to start off with one of the hottest shonen titles in 2011? Blue Exorcist is a manga that continues the dominance of female mangaka writing shonen manga. The characterization is very well-done and the plot is original. Also, girls will fall in love with Rin and Yukio Okumura.
Fullmetal Alchemist Complete Box Set (Volumes 1-27) by Hiromu Arakawa, VIZ Media
Hiromu Arakawa’s grand masterpiece in one box set. Do I really need to say anymore? FMA is arguably one of the most epic manga series ever written. This series has everything you want in a shonen manga. From start to finish, you will enjoy the journey of the Elric brothers as they show off the power & perseverance of humanity.
Drifters Volume 1 by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Comics
Time travel? Check. Historical figures? Check. Lots of violent fighting to stop evil? Check. Drifters is an interesting title that highlights how cruel people can be. Plus, it’s from the same guy who did Hellsing. The main villain also looks like a Nazgul from Lord of the Rings.
The Drops of God Volume 1 by Tadashi Agi & Shu Okimoto, Vertical Inc.
This is for those who want to read a manga title that doesn’t focus on violence & sex. This international phenomenon has impacted reality in many ways and has received much press attention from popular media outlets. If you’re a wine enthusiast, you will LOVE this manga. For anyone else, it’s a nice change of pace from the usual manga you see everyday.
‘A Bride’s Story’ Volumes 1-2 by Kaoru Mori, Yen Press
A title that has won critical acclaim in both Japan & America. The story focuses on a young lady named Amira, who marries a younger boy named Karluk in the Middle East. The artwork is gorgeous and realistic. This is a cute and fascinating title that takes a look at the structure of family and marriage.
20th Century Boys (Volumes 1-15+) by Naoki Urasawa, VIZ Media
One of the most suspenseful manga I have ever read, period. The Eisner Award-nominated 20th Century Boys is a title full of mystery and intrigue. If you want a title that throws crazy plot twists and you love crazy cult figures, then this is your book.
Sailor Moon (Volumes 1-2+) by Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha Comics
This is the female role model that all the little girls should look up to. All I can say is that it’s a good title to show to young teenage female readers interested in manga. It’s also a great history lesson for them as well as they get a chance to read one of the most influential shojou manga out there.
Princess Knight Volume 1 by Osamu Tezuka, Vertical Inc.
A gem that would help set the tone for shoujo manga. You can’t help but admire Princess Sapphire and her determination to be a hero to others. This is another influential title that I feel young female manga readers HAVE to read.
The Book of Human Insects by Osamu Tezuka, Vertical Inc.
An intense, thought-provoking story where you see how certain people can be very manipulative towards others. The main protagonist isn’t someone you can actually root for. This title is recommended for those who love complex characters in their stories.
This is just a small sample of what I would recommend. What other manga titles do you think would make great gifts for readers? Post in the comments section below and let me know what you would give!
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Sailor Moon Sailor-Bration!
Earlier today, I went to Forbidden Planet NYC to check out the Sailor Moon Sailor-Bration! event. Area was small (if you’ve been to FPNYC like I have, then you would agree) & a decent amount of people came. 6 people entered the cosplay contest. Unfortunately, I missed the panel where the hosts talked about the history of Sailor Moon. They did do some trivia with attendees & gave them prizes. The girls from the (possibly upcoming) American live-action Sailor Moon movie were there too.
Overall, it was a pretty average event. Here are some photos that I took.
Oh yeah, Sailor Moon Vol. 1 was sold out at Forbidden Planet. There was also only one copy of Codename: Sailor V left. The spirit of the Sailor Scouts is strong within fans to this day.
Who agrees with me that the Sailor Saturn in my photos looked super-awesome? Also, DAT CHIBIUSA LUNCHBOX.
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Psychology of the Planets Starring The Sailor Scouts (Sailor Moon)
“GWOtaku: Sept 14, 10:45 AM. A day after release Sailor Moon Volume 1 jumps up to #46 on Amazon’s list of top-selling books…mercy!”
It looks like the manga blogosphere & fans have been enthusiastic with the return of Naoko Takeuchi’s influential & groundbreaking shoujo manga classic, Sailor Moon, to North American manga shelves after years in limbo. With the return of our favorite Sailor Scouts (or Sailor Senshi if you would like to call them that), I wondered about the actual planets the girls represent and if the planets’ psychology reflected the girls’ personalities. Let’s take a look at our magical heroines, shall we?
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Sailor Moon & Me!
Found this old photo of me with a Sailor Moon cutout back in 2003 at the Big Apple Anime Festival (Anyone in the East Coast remember that?). Looking at this picture makes me realize how old I am. Good grief. Funny thing is that I still look the same after all these years too. This was my first anime convention.
I joked about Sailor Moon being my “first love” in this picture. It’s a tie between her and Chun-Li.
So, to you males out there, which of the Sailor Scouts you had a thing for?
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Remembering Sailor Moon From My Childhood
MOON CRYSTAL POWER! MAKE-UP!
Everyone in the manga world knows that Naoko Takeuchi’s famous series, Sailor Moon, is making a triumphant return to the United States. Kodansha Comics will be releasing enhanced versions of the Sailor Moon manga and the prequel series CODENAME: SAILOR V this September.
This series actually brings a small tear to my eye, since I grew up with both Dragon Ball Z & Sailor Moon before they made it big in the States. Sailor Moon was first released in 1992 in Japan. Around the time, I was introduced to the first Sailor Moon series and also part of the Sailor Moon R series. A friend and his sister both were into anime since they rented Chinese-dubbed anime from Chinatown, so I frequently went to his place to watch. It’s funny because I got into DBZ while my younger sister was into Sailor Moon. We even made fanfiction stories in which both series collided.
When Sailor Moon finally made it to the States in 1997 on TV, I decided to give the English version a try one weekday morning. My first impression was “Wow, the voices sure sound funny!”. At the time, I was mostly used to watching Chinese-dubbed anime. Never would I have thought that Sailor Moon (and also DBZ) would engrave themselves into American pop culture.
Watching episodes of Sailor Moon also made me develop a crush on Makoto Kino, also known as Sailor Jupiter. Honestly, I don’t even know why I liked her in the first place. Was it because she was the first tomboy cartoon character I seen? Or maybe because she was a tall girl? Yeah, Rei Hino (Sailor Mars) was supposed to get the guys bothered. But, to me, it was Sailor Jupiter. She was the start of my love for “tough girls”, alongside Chun-Li of Street Fighter since SFII was insanely popular around the time Sailor Moon began airing in Japan. Seeing cute girls kick ass became quite the fascination for me.
Also, Tuxedo Mask. Oh man. A guy coming in like that to save the day. It was kind of badass to me. I didn’t care too much about the relationship between Mamoru Chiba & Usagi Tsukino, but I liked how he made his appearances to save the Sailor Senshi when they’re getting their butts kicked by monsters. That developed another fascination with roses. Roses are filled with thorns and you have to be cautious when dealing with such beauty.
Sailor Moon will definitely be on my to-watch manga list for this Fall. This was part of my early childhood and it is wonderful to see a new generation of female readers see the series that truly revolutionized the “magical girl” genre.
So, for the haters out there, under the name on the Moon, I WILL PUNISH YOU!
