Manga Monthly: Favorites Return This Fall

by Carrie Wood

Welcome back to another edition of Manga Monthly, where we bring you a lineup of some of the best upcoming manga! You can find all of these titles in the October PREVIEWS, so be sure to preorder your favorites at your local comic shop!

Dark Horse gets us started this month with a story about a popular Vocaloid – though for once, it’s not about Hatsune Miku! Hatsune Miku: Rin-Chan Now! (OCT160075) focuses on Kagamine Rin, Miku’s sassy friend! This story takes inspiration from the music video for the song “Rin-Chan Now!” and the manga is actually written, drawn and edited by the video’s creators.

Kodansha continues to expand their lineup with a new spinoff of the ever-popular Fairy Tail, called Fairy Tail: Twin Dragons of Sabertooth (OCT161679)! This story focuses on Sting and Rogue, the most popular dragon slayer duo. An argument over one of their companions splits the Twin Dragons up! But when Sting tries to take on the golems of Obstone Village on his own, he's left crushed, with his magic stolen. Could this job actually be a sinister trap set for Sting? And will Rogue forgive him and arrive in time to save his life?

Attack on Titan continues to be one of the most popular manga out there, and fans can get a more light-hearted take on the characters with the second volume of Spoof on Titan (OCT161685). This hilarious four-panel (newspaper-style) comic based on the popular Attack on Titan is set in the same world, but with cutesy versions of the characters.

Seven Seas Entertainment adds to their manga catalog with the first volume of Bloom Into You (OCT161766)! This is a charming love story about two young women who together discover that their dreams of a heart-pounding romance can indeed come true. Yuu has always loved shoujo manga and awaits the day she gets a love confession that sends her heart aflutter with bubbles and hearts, and yet when a junior high classmate confesses his feelings to her, she feels nothing. Disappointed and confused, Yuu enters high school still unsure how to respond. That's when Yuu sees the beautiful student council president Nanami turn down a suitor with such maturity that she's inspired to ask her for help. But when the next person to confess to Yuu is Nanami herself, has her shoujo romance finally begun?

Do you like the Wizard of Oz? Well, Seven Seas can give you a new take on the old classic with Captive Hearts of Oz (OCT161767)! Dorothy Gale, along with her beloved dog Toto, finds herself whisked away by a tornado to the mysterious land of Oz. Something about this strange place feels oddly familiar, but Dorothy just wants to go home. Following the advice of a kindly Witch, Dorothy must travel to the Emerald City and seek out the Wizard of Oz, who alone has the power to send her back to her world. Alongside a trio of fascinating new companions, and a mysterious young man known as "Zero," Dorothy must follow the Yellow Brick Road on her journey to escape Oz and some of its less than friendly denizens, the evil Witches. Yet even though all this seems to be happening for the first time, Dorothy feels as if they have all met before!

Tokyopop continues their comeback with the fourth volume of Kilala Princess (OCT161903)! Kilala and Rei are on a quest to collect all the remaining gems for their tiara to save their country, Paradiso. They fall into the world of Beauty and the Beast, where they accidentally lose the Beast's pocket watch in the river. Rei will stop at nothing to get it back... but will his efforts be enough? Meanwhile, in the world of Sleeping Beauty, Kilala must serve as a maid at Princess Aurora's 17th birthday party. She encounters Maleficent in disguise, and soon falls under her evil spell. The only thing strong enough to break it is True Love's Kiss.  Will Rei rescue her in time to save Paradiso?

Who doesn’t love cute cats? Vertical adds to their manga lineup with Chi’s Sweet Home (OCT162011), one of the most beloved cartoon properties in Japan! Chi, the titular cat character, is beloved by fans worldwide on the Internet and mass media. This great all-ages story is a tender fun adventure focusing on the life of a newborn kitten and the young family that decides to raise her.

Tomie (OCT162014) is one of the most popular horror stories out of Japan, and is written and illustrated by the Japanese master of horror, Junji Ito. This complete deluxe edition comes in a striking hardcover format thanks to the folks at Viz Media! Tomie Kawakami is a femme fatale with long black hair and a beauty mark just under her left eye. She can seduce nearly any man, and drive them to murder as well, even though the victim is often Tomie herself. While one lover seeks to keep her for himself, another grows terrified of the immortal succubus. But soon they realize that no matter how many times they kill her, the world will never be free of Tomie.

Viz also continues to add to the popular sports manga lineup with the sixth volume of Haikyuu!! (OCT162032) The third season of this popular volleyball anime is gearing up now, so there’s no better time to start reading this action-packed series. After having overcome the Iron Wall of Date Technical, it's finally time for Karasuno to have their rematch with Aoba Johsai! Kageyama and Karasuno claimed victory in the practice match, but how will they fare in a real game? Tensions run high when Tohru Oikawa gears up to crush Kageyama once and for all.

Fans of the popular series Pandora Hearts will surely love The Case Study of Vanitas (OCT162053), written and illustrated by the same author, Jun Mochizuki! This new series is being brought to the west thanks to the folks at Yen Press; the story is a tale of vampires and curses set in a whimsical and dark steampunk Paris! On the streets, rumors abound of a clockwork grimoire said to sow curses among the vampires. Now, guided by the Book of Vanitas, the gears begun to turn, and the story of two men, Noe and Vanitas, takes shape.

That’s it for this edition of Manga Monthly – but this just scratches the surface of what’s available to order in this month’s PREVIEWS catalog! Be sure to preorder your favorites, and stay tuned for another great manga lineup next month!