Non-fiction and Manga

While many of you know that you can find manga in the Graphic Fiction section of the library, you might be less familiar with the collection of non-fiction books we have related to manga and anime:

Here's a few books covering the history and criticism of manga and anime:

Manga! Manga! : The World of Japanese Comics
by Schodt, Frederik L.

Watching Anime, Reading Manga : 25 Years of Essays and Reviews
by Patten, Fred

Dreamland Japan : Writings on Modern Manga
by Schodt, Frederik L.

One Thousand Years of Manga
by Koyama-Richard, Brigitte

Manga : The Complete Guide
by Thompson, Jason

The Anime Companion : What's Japanese in Japanese Animation?
by Poitras, Gilles

The Anime Encyclopedia : A Guide to Japanese Animation since 1917
by Clements, Jonathan

Anime from Akira to Howl's Moving Castle : Experiencing Contemporary Japanese Animation
by Napier, Susan Jolliffe

Understanding Manga and Anime
by Brenner, Robin E.

Anime Essentials : Everything a Fan Needs to Know
by Poitras, Gilles
________

Here's a collection of artbooks by various artists:

Comic Artists--Asia : Manga, Manhwa, Manhua
by Sugiyama, Rika

Pita-ten : Koge-Donbo Illustration Collection
by Koge Donbo

InuYasha : The Art of InuYasha
by Takahashi, Rumiko

The art of Ranma 1/2
by Takahashi, Rumiko


_______

Here's an interesting collection of books using manga-like illustrations to teach various subjects:

The Manga Guide to Physics *
by Nitta, Hideo

The Manga Guide to Calculus *
by Kojima, Hiroyuki

The Manga Guide to Databases *
by Takahashi, Mana

The Manga Guide to Molecular Biology *
by Takemura, Masaharu

The Manga Guide to Statistics *
by Takahashi, Shin

*This book are currently being ordered and will be placed into the collection once were are done processing them

Nuns, Maids, and Demon Slayers

For those who like their nuns with guns, their maids packing a punch, and their demon slayers working with the enemy:

Chrono Crusade by Daiskue Moriyama

Black Bird by Kanoko Sakurakoji

Kekkaishi by Yellow Tanabe

Mugen Spiral by Mizuho Kusanagi

Maid Sama by Hiro Fujumura

Hayate: Combat Butler by Kenjiro Hata

Emma by Kaoru Mori

Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Togashi

Get a doctorate in manga!

Hey folks,

Melvin sent me something very interesting: apprently a university in Japan is allowing students to get a doctorate in manga!

Check out the article here.

Here's me crossing my fingers that a degree in manga studies will eventually find its way to Canadian universities - because I totally want the excuse to say "See Dad, all that Inuyachu (as he calls all manga/anime) stuff did pay off - you may now call me Doctor Jess, thank you very much". :D

All the best,

Jess

Manga Space Oddessey

Here's some manga for those of you who enjoy trapezing through the realms of outer space and having tea time with aliens:


Cowboy Bepop by Yutaka Nanten

Planetes by Mokoto Yukimura

Gintama by Hideaki Sorachi

Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 by Kazuhisa Kondo

Please Save my Earth by Saki Hiwatari

Dragon Ball Z by Akira Toriyama

Galaxy Express 999 by Leiji Matsumoto

All the best,

Jess

Think Three's a Crowd?

Are you a fan of the harem manga genre? Then these are the manga for you:

Love Hina by Ken Akamatsu

Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori

Oh! My Goddess by Kosuke Fujishima

No Need For Tenchi by Hitoshi Ikuda

Negima! by Ken Akamatsu

Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi

Rosario + Vampire by Akihisa Ikeda

Strawberry 100% by Mizuki Kawashita

Vampire Manga

Considering the rise of the vampire genre in fiction, here's some manga titles that might pique the interest of paranormal fans:

Rosario Vampire by Akihisa Ikeda

Chibi Vampire by Yuna Kagesaki

Petshop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino

Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino

PHD: Phantasy Degree by Son Hee-Joon

Kanpai by Maki Murakami

Wanted: Magical School Girl. Costume Change Required

For those of you who are fans of magical school girls and costume changes, here's some suggestions for you:

Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP

Zodiac P.I by Natsumi Ando

Kamizaki Kaito Jeanne by Arina Tanemura

Card Captor Sakura by CLAMP

Wedding Peach by Nao Yazawa

Pixie Pop by Ema Toyama

Revolutionary Girl Utena by Chiho Saito

Tokyo Mew Mew by Reiko Yoshida and Mia Ikumi


Enjoy,

Jess

The Japanese Make Good Robots...

Are you a fan a mecha, cyborgs, or androids? If you are, you may finds the following manga titles an enticing read...


Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 by Kazuhisa Kondo

Neon Genisis Evangelion by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto

Chobits by CLAMP

Battle Angel Alita by Yukito Kishiro

Dr.Slump by Akira Toriyama

The Big O by Hitoshi Ariga

Absolute Boyfriend by Yu Watase

Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka

Manga That Will Make Your Mouth Water...

Those of you who enjoy the hijinks and mayhem surrounding the culinary arts may find the following titles interesting:

Noodle Fighter Miki by Jun Sadogawa

Kitchen Princess by Natsumi Ando

Antique Bakery by Fumi Yoshinaga

Pixie Pop by Ema Toyama

Cafe Kichijouji de by Kyoko Negishi

Mixed Vegetables by Ayumi Komura


Cheers,

Jess

Spotlight in Manga...

For those of you who enjoy a little Drama in your manga, I suggest the following titles:

Backstage Prince by Kanoko Sakurakoji

La Corda d'Oro by Yuki Kure

Forbidden Dance by Hinako Ashihara

Fullmoon o Sagashite by Arina Tanemura

Gravitation by Maki Murakami

Nana by Ai Yazawa

Skip Beat! by Yoshiki Nakamura

W Juliet by Emura

Swan by Kyoko Ariyoshi


All the best,

Jess

Transported to Another Dimension...

Imaginary realms play a key role in the fantasy genre, and many manga artists take great pains and delight in creating imaginary worlds of the past, or altogether new realms with their own histories, cities, and skewed reality.
A popular take on this fantasy element is the transportation of someone from our reality into that of another.
If you are a fan of this fantasy motif, here are some manga titles that might peak your interest:

Inuyasha by Rumiko Takahashi

Fushigi Yuugi by Yuu Watase

MAR: Marchen Awakens Romance by Nobuyuki Anzai

From Far Away by Kyoko Hikawa

Merupuri: Marchen Prince by Matsuri Hino

.hack// Legend of the Twilght by Tatsuya Hamazaki

Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP

All the best,

Jess

Roots in Manga...

Happy Earth Day folks!

In celebration of this holiday, Melvin has kindly directed me to a rather interesting article. It seems artist Koshi Kawachi uses old manga to grow plants! Head over to BoingBoing to checkout pictures and a link to the artist's site:

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/04/13/old-manga-used-to-gr.html


So, from now on, instead of throwing out your manga, grow some plants instead!

All the best,

Jess

Manga Review: D.Gray-man

D. Gray Man by Katsura Hoshino



Akumas, monsters born from dead souls mistakenly recalled by their loved ones to the living world, are the weapons of the Millenium Earl, who is intent on the destruction of the world. Allen Walker has been cursed with an anti-Akuma weapon as his left arm and an eye that sees the former soul of the Akuma since his youth. He is also one of the few who contain "Innocence", a substance that allows him to kill Akuma and fight the Earl. With these powers, he joins the secret Black Order Organization as an Exorcist and sets out with other Exorcists to stop the Earl's attempts to annihilate the human race.


I really enjoy reading this series. The plot is interesting, how it talks about the secrets of the world and its history. "There is more to it than it meets the eye" is what it's portraying. It's mostly a shonen adventure.... With a small romance at the side.

The art on the characters are really realistic (ex, how the character's hair gets longer as the series progresses). There are also a variety of different characters in the story; and I like how each character isn't made to be perfect. Each character has at least one.... Degrading characteristic. The battle scenes are really well made as well. Overall, I think Hoshino-san did a really good job on both the plot and art.

I give this manga an 8.5 out of 10 (10 being the best).

Vanessa