The end of May is almost here. I’m very aware of this fact since my family’s goal is to be completely moved in, or at least living in, the new house by the end of the month. So this last week of May is crunch time and I’m rather preoccupied, but there’s no way that I could forget this month’s manga giveaway! This time you’ll all have a chance to win Paradise Residence, Volume 1 by Kosuke Fujishima as published in English by Kodansha Comics, which means that the manga also includes Volume 0 as bonus material. And, as always, the giveaway is open worldwide!
As mentioned above, I’m currently in the process of moving. There’s been so much cleaning, painting, packing, unpacking, yard work, general maintenance, repairs and such going on that I’ve been keeping very busy. It’s also making me a little nostalgic for the days when I lived in dorms and cooperatives where most of that work wasn’t my responsibility (except for that one year I served as the maintenance manager for a 30-person household). Boarding schools and dormitories aren’t terribly uncommon when it comes to manga and in some series they even end up as one of the primary settings. With that many people living together in one place, there is plenty of opportunity for all sorts of antics and other drama to ensue. In addition to Paradise Residence, Yukie Nasu’s Here Is Greenwood immediately comes to mind as another example, as does the communal apartment in Akiko Higashimura’s Princess Jellyfish even though it’s not associated with a school.
So, you may be wondering, how can you win a copy of Paradise Residence, Volume 1?
1) In the comments below, tell me a little about one of your favorite manga that takes place in a dorm or other communal living arrangement. (If you don’t have a favorite, or haven’t read any, simply mention that.)
2) If you’re on Twitter, you can earn a bonus entry by tweeting, or retweeting, about the contest. Make sure to include a link to this post and @PhoenixTerran (that’s me).
Pretty easy, right? Participants have one week to submit comments and can earn up to two entries for this giveaway. Comments can also be sent to me at phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com if needed or if preferred. I will then post the entries in the comments here in your name. The winner of the giveaway will be randomly selected and announced on June 1, 2016. Good luck! (And now back to moving!)
VERY IMPORTANT: Include some way that I can contact you. This can be an e-mail address in the comment form, a link to your website, Twitter username, or whatever. If I can’t figure out how to get a hold of you and you win, I’ll just draw another name.
Contest winner announced–Manga Giveaway: Paradise Residence Giveaway Winner
I dont have one
There are simply too many to list, even if i were to narrow it down to titles published in print, in English, wish i personally own.
My favorite that most people will be familiar with though is definitely Hayate X Blade. I utterly adore Hayashiya Shizuru’s outrageous and raucous private girl’s school swashbuckling “bildungsroman” comedy adventure. Its characters are multifaceted and vivid, its setting warm and amusing and of course, it’s a stirring Yuri romance. It’s unlikely to ever be published completely in English but thanks to Seven Seas you can get a taste of its genius.
you know what, I’m gonna be that guy and pick Fujishima’s other series – Oh! My Goddess! – for the answer! Because really, Keichi’s living arrangements pretty much take on that dorm feel once the goddesses just keep moving in
tweet tweet: https://twitter.com/persoconchii/status/735551939044343808
Silver Spoon takes the cake for being so unique with it’s setting; dorms are one thing, but dorms on a farm are a whole new (and utterly fun) game. Sadly still waiting on–or wishing for–an official physical release of the comics, but the anime fills the void slightly.
Gakuen Alice wins second place for being an old favourite.
Communal living? Probably Maison Ikkoku, my favorite of the Takahashi series (actually, the others ones grew tired on me, but because MI has characters actually change over the series and it has an actual end, it’s still one of my favorites).
WHY DID I NOT THINK OF THAT ONE!??!?!?!
The only manga/anime that I have that I can think of is Yu-Gi-Oh! GX and Ah! My Goddess. For Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, they live in the dorms at the academy and for Ah! My Goddess, Keiichi lived in an all-boys dorm at the beginning of the story and then lives together with the goddesses at the shrine. Those count, right?
While it’s not originally a manga but LN (but it got manga so it counts, right?)
When I think of dorms and stuff, Sakurasou always comes to my mind, u know..
Tweet:
https://twitter.com/BloodyGaikotsu/status/735775673524981761
I can think of a few, starting with Seihou Boys’ High School. It has a few moments that made me raise a brow (do we REALLY need guys to tell women that “acting cute” is unattractive?), but it’s a refreshingly frank series that lets all its characters be horrible sometimes. It’s rare that a shoujo series acknowledges the possibility of amicable break ups, or that friendships can get just as messy as other relationships. It got better and better as it went on, too! I can only hope that someday a publisher will risk licensing Joou no Hana.
I’d feel remiss if I didn’t also mention The Heart of Thomas. The art alone would make it an indispensable read. (Luckily, Moto Hagio is fantastic at melodrama, too.)
Mmh, i think i never read/watched anything that take place in dormitories…
Btw, retwitted @MauroPellencin
Hmm I don’t have a lot of manga taking place in dorms in mind right now, but really do love Rutta to Kodama. Which follows two roommates in college as they fall in love and have a sincere heartfelt relationship.
I’ll go a completely different route and choose Dokkoida, for two reasons:
1) It’s about a pair of superheroes and a bunch of villains all living in the same apartment complex, knowing each other by their civilian identities, unaware of their alter-egos.
2) It’s by Yu Yagami, an author with a few criminally-underrated series under his belt. (The original story was written by Taro Achi, also the author of the equally-underrated Mamoru The Shadow Protector.)
Nothing to say, sorry. I’m not into the genre too much. Although it seems enjoyable, so i’ll check it
yeah send an email with address thanks for the giveaway
You are very welcome! I hope you enjoy the manga. ^_^