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Summer may be over, but don’t get upset! Whether you’re headed back to school or starting to tackle those Q3 reports (like me), take a break in your busy schedule with one of these new manga releases.
Sailor Moon: Eternal Edition, Vol. 1
Original Title: 美少女戦士セーラームーン
Author: Naoko Takeuchi
US Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: 9/11/2018
Purchase: Amazon
From the publisher: The guardians in sailor suits return in this definitive edition of the greatest magical girl manga of all time! Features all-new cover illustrations by creator Naoko Takeuchi, a glittering holographic coating, an extra-large size, premium paper, French flaps, and a newly-revised translation!
Over the summer, I borrowed the Kodansha Comics editions of Sailor Moon from my local library, as I only read the Tokyopop versions when they came out years ago. Since Kodansha did a great job republishing the series, I was going to buy the box sets, but I held off when I heard the Eternal Editions were coming to the US.
When I bought my copy yesterday, I was definitely impressed with this book’s production value. It’s oversized and printed on glossy paper, with color illustrations and a super-cool glittery cover. But with higher quality comes a higher price; at a retail value of $27.99, it’s certainly a premium buy. You wouldn’t be missing out if you buy the normal editions, but if you’re a hardcore Sailor Moon fan, this would make a great addition to your collection.
The Delinquent Housewife, Vol. 1
Original Title: ふつつかなヨメですが！
Author: Nemu Yoko
US Publisher: Vertical Comics
Release Date: 9/18/2018
Purchase: Amazon
From the publisher: Tohru Komukai and his bride-to-be, Komugi, move in with his family just until they find a place of their own. Or, that was the plan, until Tohru suddenly leaves for a long-term business trip overseas, leaving Komugi to fend for herself on her in-laws’ turf. While Komugi is pretty, considerate and appears to be an ideal housewife, the truth is she doesn’t know how to do a lick of housework, and can’t cook at all. Also, she has a secret past as a member of an all-girls bosozoku biker gang! The only member of the family to learn these secrets is Dai, Tohru’s younger brother, and he helps Komugi keep up appearances until she can learn how to hold her own as a domestic goddess…
The josei manga market gets another title! Well, sort of. The Delinquent Housewife is technically a seinen manga (it originally ran in Big Comic Spirits, a seinen publication). But Nemu Yoko is known as a prominent josei author, and given the subject matter and premise, I’m sure this manga will appeal to josei readers. Either way, as a fan of her art style, I’m excited to finally read her comics in English. Vertical Comics seems to have put this title on a pretty consistent schedule, with the next volumes coming out in November, January, and March.
20th Century Boys: The Perfect Edition, Vol. 1
Original Title: 20世紀少年
Author: Naoki Urasawa
US Publisher: Viz Media
Release Date: 9/18/2018
Purchase: Amazon
From the publisher: A deluxe bind-up edition of Naoki Urasawa’s award-winning epic of doomsday cults, giant robots and a group of friends trying to save the world from destruction!
Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren’t for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world.
We’ve got another deluxe version of a classic manga coming out this month, this time from Viz Media. Truth be told, I’m not too familiar with Naoki Urasawa’s manga. I never really got around to reading Monster, and I missed the boat on the last time 20th Century Boys was published. I’m thinking the deluxe editions would be a great way to get into his work—and save some money. The new reprints of 20th Century Boys will combine the original 22-volume series into 11 books, making it a lot easier to collect.
After the Rain, Vol. 1
Original Title: 恋は雨上がりのように
Author: Jun Mayuzuki
US Publisher: Vertical Comics
Release Date: 9/25/2018
Purchase: Amazon
From the publisher: Akira Tachibana is a reserved high school student who was the star of the track and field team but had to quit when she got injured. Sidelined and depressed, Akira stops in at a family restaurant one rainy day, and after the manager—a 45-year-old man with a young son—serves her free coffee, she is smitten, and soon takes a part-time job at the restaurant.
Despite the age gap, Akira is drawn to his kind nature, and little by little, the two begin to understand each other. One day, she decides to finally tell her manager how she feels… but how will he react?
Back in January, blog reader Rocco mentioned this manga in a comment, and since then, I’ve waited patiently for news on an official release. Needless to say, it’s finally here! Vertical is really hitting it out of the park with their licensing choices, bringing us content that other publishers might not consider. Like My Boy, which also features a (nonromantic) relationship between characters of significantly different ages, After the Rain‘s premise may not appeal to all readers.
Dementia 21
Original Title: ディメンシャ 21
Author: Shintaro Kago
US Publisher: Fantagraphics
Release Date: 9/25/2018
Purchase: Amazon
From the publisher: Yukie Sakai is a sprightly young home health aide eager to help her elderly clients. But what seems like a straightforward job quickly turns into a series of increasingly surreal and bizarre adventures that put Yukie’s wits to the test! Cartoonist Kago, who is well known for combining a more traditional manga style with hyper realistic illustration technique, an experimental visual storytelling approach, and outrageously sexual and scatological subject matter, has single-handedly created his own genre: “fashionable paranoia.”
With all that said about After the Rain, Dementia 21 may also be a book that doesn’t work for everyone, though for entirely different reasons. If you’re not fond of body horror or surrealism, you probably want to hold off reading Shintaro Kago’s manga. But if guro manga’s your jam, it looks like Dementia 21’s got your back.
What are you excited to read in September? Let me know in the comments!
Hakutaku 
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