Lissa Pattillo
March 21, 2012 
It’s that time again – new manga time! The past month has been so full of new manga license announcements that it’s almost too easy to let your mind drift to the future and forget the present. Good thing a visit to your book buying location of choice is just the future-lust cure you need:
The week’s new manga starts off with an end as Ninja Girls (Vol.09) marks the finale of this fan-service tale of horns and harems. The series’ main character, Raizo, may have started out the story as an outcast, but after nine volumes of coming to terms with his royal lineage with the help of a busty and loyal group of ninja, I have a feeling his outlook on life is now a little different.
• Ninja Girls (Vol.09), ($10.99/US, $11.99/CAN)
Seven Seas has a title out this week I’ve been eagerly awaiting since it was announced as licensed back in November. Young Miss Holmes – which will be released in 2-in-1 omnibus books – is a collection of stories about a ten-year-old girl who is the niece of the fictional Sherlock Holmes. In the same vein as stories about her famous uncle, Christine Holmes solves mysteries using her intellect and tenacity for trouble. It looks and sounds like a lot of fun, not to mention the promise of some familiar cameos for even more entertainment value.
SEVEN SEAS
• Young Miss Holmes (Casebook 1-2), ($16.99/US, $18.99/CAN)
It’s Yen Press’ big week of the month with eight new books and some especially fantastic ones scattered throughout. Romance, drama, action, mystery; not to mention the talking cactus and frilly zombies. You can’t help but love and appreciate the diversity!
Two of the most eagerly awaited this week are the newest volumes of A Bride’s Story and Bunny Drop. Both are slice of life stories but of very different cultures. In this third volume of A Bride’s Story, the plot shifts away from Amir and follows the enthusiastic researcher, Mr. Smith, to another town where he inadvertently finds himself in the middle of the very politics he’s there to observe. While his story takes a change in location, Bunny Drop hops forward in time as we return ten years later to the story of Daikichi and his adopted daughter, Rin. With Rin now a young woman, there are a whole new array of trials and roadblocks for them to get through together.
A new series begins today with Is This A Zombie? (Vol.01). The title coupled with the bright pink, chainsaw-wielding Lolita girl definitely makes for an interesting first impression. Then you read the plot synopsis and suddenly it’s too weird sounding not to induce some real curiosity!
“Life – or undeath? – isn’t easy for Ayumu Aikawa. A seemingly normal high schooler, he is in fact a zombie who serves as a bodyguard to an introverted necromancer. But his already complicated existence becomes even more outlandish when he accidentally steals the powers of a magical girl, transforming into one himself – complete with frilly dress and pink chainsaw! How’s a reanimated corpse supposed to keep his head on his shoulders with roommates like these girls around the house?”
YEN PRESS
• A Bride’s Story (Vol.03), ($16.99/US, $18.50/CAN)
• 13th Boy (Vol.11), ($11.99/US, $12.99/CAN)
• Bamboo Blade (Vol.12), ($11.99/US, $12.99/CAN)
• Bunny Drop (Vol.05), ($12.99/US, $12.99/CAN)
• Is This A Zombie? (Vol.01), ($11.99/US, $12.99/CAN)
• Melancholy Of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan (Vol.05), ($11.99/US, $12.99/CAN)
• Pandora Hearts (Vol.09), ($11.99/US, $12.99/CAN)
• Spice And Wolf (Vol.06), ($11.99/US, $12.99/CAN)
That does it for this week’s On The Shelf – what on the list are you most eager to buy? Any must-have recommendations? Share your thoughts in our handy comment area for all our readers to see!
* All dates are based on distributor listings and may not necessarily reflect exact release dates. Some books may ship prior to or after the date listed above varying by location and availability.
