The end of the year is almost here and I’ll soon be entering semi-retirement as a manga blogger, but there’s still time for one last giveaway here at Experiments in Manga. The winner of this final contest will have the opportunity to choose any single volume of manga released in 2017 as a prize. (Basically, no boxsets. Omnibuses are still fair game. The volume will likely still need to be in print.) And as usual, the giveaway is open worldwide!
WINNER’S CHOICE!
2017 was a great year for manga. Publishers continued to expand their print and digital offerings. Genres and titles that at one point seemed untouchable in the past were licensed and released. There were deluxe editions, rescues and reissues, and so much more. I recently wrote about some of the debut manga published within the last year that to me were notable for one reason or another, but that post featured only a very small tip of a very large iceberg. This is a great time to be a manga fan.
So, you may be wondering, how can you win your choice of a manga released in 2017?
1) In the comments below, tell me which volume of manga released in 2017 you would like to win and why. (Need some help figuring out what was published? Check out non-preorders from pages 4-15 of RightStuf’s online manga catalog for some ideas.)
2) For a second entry, tell me a little about something that you read in 2017, manga or otherwise, that you particularly enjoyed. (It can be a release from any year.)
3) 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).
And there you have it! Participants have one week to submit comments and can earn up to three entries for this giveaway. Comments can also be sent directly to phoenixterran(at)gmail(dot)com if needed or preferred. I will then post the comments here in your name. The giveaway winner will be randomly selected and contacted on January 3, 2018.
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–Congratulations, Nate E.!
1) Toppu GP looks like something interesting that I haven’t read about before. I like going outside of my comfort zone (to some degree, I highly doubt I’m going to start suddenly reading hentai though). Maybe I’m kind of hoping it’ll be like Yowamushi Pedal a bit but with motorcycles too?
Ichi-F also looks interesting to me, both from a recent history standpoint, and a “learning more about something random I don’t much about” standpoint.
2) In terms of manga, To Your Eternity had a fantastic first two volumes and I eagerly await more! Other awesome things I read this year: My Brother’s Husband, I Hear the Sunspot, Spirit Circle, and I believe I got into Horimiya, Ultraman, and Demon Prince of Momochi House this year (and started Requiem of the Rose King again, after vol 1 confused me the first time around). I also finished up the cute without being too poisonous So Cute, It Hurts!! and the uber violent Wolfsmund (I watch Game of Thrones and Wolfsmund managed to make me wince)
In terms of VNs, I did play a new Phoenix Wright this year and I played all three Danganronpa games for the first time, and all were incredibly addicting and awesome. Danganronpa was downright addictive, figuring out who the killer is while enjoying all the over the top personalities (Kokichi from the 3rd game I especially liked, probably my favorite video game character of the year)
3) done @zawa113cj
Oh, Toppu GP! That’s a series I’ve been meaning to give a try, too. I haven’t read much of Fujishima’s work, but have largely enjoyed what I have.
You may have caught my in-depth review of Ichi-F, but manga scholar Ryan Holmberg wrote an interesting piece about it for The New York Review, too.
Also, great list of great things that you’ve read! I really need to get around to playing more VNs. ^_^
1) 2017 releases are too many to narrow down, so gonna go with something closest to today – Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card new manga. Nothing like that sweet pang of maho-shoujo nostalgia (runner up would be whatever most recent of Princess Jellyfish)
2) Goodnight PunPun – absolute roller-coaster of highs and lows, so much trauma & terrible people. Complex, unique, interesting terrible traumatized people!
the reread of Vinland Saga because excellent story with so many fleshed out people with such great art. Thorfinn’s brain blue-screen-of-death in vol4 & his nightmares in vol5 continue to be highlights!
special shout-out to Visual Novel “Danganronpa v3” because that last case…. OMG that last case!
3) tweets – persoconchii
I literally have the first volume of Clear Card in my hand! I loved the original series, so I’m both curious and nervous to see where CLAMP takes things.
I am still so incredibly happy, and somewhat astonished, that Princess Jellyfish is being released in print! I’m really looking forward to reading Tokyo Tarareba Girls, too.
Goodnight Punpun can be such an hard read, but it’s an incredible work. And Vinland Saga started out strong but seems to somehow get better with each volume! I really need to reread it myself, soon.
I made the mistake of reading Punpun binge-style, like 4 omni books right after each other in a week…. One shouldn’t do that. There need to be scheduled breaks every few chapters of petting dogs and watching kitten videos. Maybe cute baby bats too
Vinland Saga it amazing, and somehow keeps topping itself each book?!?! Like hey, started out with incredible violence (well drawn bloody violence) … and then suddenly child Thorfinn? And just as it settles with Canute’s religious epiphanies & Ylva’s dealing with loss of family… Have Askeladd plans!! Settled into a good grove there – nope, he’s gone… farm life!!
…pretty sure Baltic story will eat up another 3 volumes and it’ll never end….
Yeah, I had to be very careful with when and how much of Goodnight Punpun I read all at once. XD
1 Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories i’m a very huge horror fan and a huge fan of all his works . 2 GoGo Monster by Taiyo Matsumoto Third grader Yuki Tachibana lives in two worlds. In one world, he is a loner ridiculed by his classmates and reprimanded by his teachers for telling stories of supernatural beings that only he can see. In the other world, the supernatural beings vie for power with malevolent spirits who bring chaos into the school, the students’ lives, and nature itself
Can’t go wrong with the newest Junji Ito! I’m thrilled that there’s been something of a renaissance of his work in English.
It’s been a few years since I’ve read GoGo Monster, but it’s definitely a manga that leaves an impression. Matsumoto’s manga are really something special.
rOoFToP (Chris)
@RoofTopBangbanG
I would choose “Shiver” by Junji Ito because I have not yet read it and because….
“Uzumaki” by Junji Ito was one of my favorite books of any sort that I read this year, and I also also looked up and read other wonderful Junji Ito books!
Uzumaki was my introduction to Ito’s work and it remains one of my favorites! Some of those visuals continue to haunt me; it’s a marvelously unsettling manga.
1) Captive Hearts of Oz 3 – I enjoyed the first one, and since I have all the Alice books, I guess I might as go for the complete Fujimaru collection.
2) Lots of shoujo manga have finished this year (in English), and I think Waiting for Spring is the sort of romance we need more of. Just a relatable, not overly dramatic or sexualized tale of a couple of teenagers and friends.
3) Done, @Daiyamanga
I liked the first volume of Captive Hearts of Oz but haven’t gotten around to reading more of the series yet. I still have some catching up to do with all the Alice books, too. XD
I liked Waiting for Spring, too! I was actually a little surprised by how much I enjoyed the first volume. :)
1. My Lesbian Experience With Lonlieness – While I did review the series earlier this year I just had a review copy PDF to work off of and I’ve been meaning to get my own physical copy ever since!
2. I was caught off-guard by how much I enjoyed Delicious in Dungeon this year, it’s a really fun series and I’m hoping that it gets an anime so even MORE people are introduced to the story~
3. RT’d as @wanderindreamr ;)
I was definitely one of the people who could identify with My Lesbian Experience With Lonlieness. I’m really looking forward to reading the follow-up volume My Solo Exchange Diary next year.
Delicious in Dungeon is so good! I absolutely love what I’ve read so far; the series is easily one of my favorite debuts from this year.
1. Volume 7 of The Betrayal Knows My Name because I absolutely loved the anime, and I’ve been trying to collect the manga so I can experience the story again and find out what happens after the anime cuts off. Volume 7 is one of the few I’m still missing.
2. I’ve really enjoyed reading through Gangsta by Kohske. I really like the characters, and I always find myself easily immersed in the story and world whenever I read it.
3. I retweeted about the giveaway as @Bamboopanda27
Email: haleyrscully@gmail.com
Thank you for the chance! :)
I’ve not actually read any of The Betrayal Knows My Name; I should fix that. ^_^
As for Gangsta, I’m caught up with everything that’s been released in English. (Well, except for the anime, which I still need to try). I really like the series. A single scene once even inspired me to write an entire post about it. (I really enjoyed working on that one.)
1. For a 2017 volume, I would like to win Non Non Biyori, Volume 8. I love slice of life stories and especially enjoy Non Non Biyori’s rustic fun.
2. It’s an oldie, but this year I have really gotten into reading the Oh My Goddess! manga. The romance between Keiichi and Belldandy is heartwarming, and I like the various interactions with the different Norns as they forge their strange but fun little family. It has a good mix of slice-of-life serendipity and epic action to keep things interesting – and lots of comedy, too – so I can never get enough of it.
I grew up in a rural area, so Non Non Biyori being set in the countryside is something that appeals to me.
Believe it or not, I’ve never actually read any of Oh My Goddess! I did see and enjoy a little bit of one of the anime, though I don’t remember which one it was. XD
1) I woul really like to have Volume 2 of Platinum End by Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ōba cause I’m a huge fan of these two, togheter they are fantastic!
As a fan of Death Note I’m so hyped for this series. Platinum End appears to be a successor of Death Note with a continual contrast between “evil” and “good” and in additional to the fantastic art that Obata is known for (can’t say enough about how well Obata’s complements Ohba’s writing!) we have another way to see this contrast between light and dark and the commitment to showing relativistic nature of these concepts.
Mirai (the protagonist) seems to be a total opposite Light.
Light was sure of every of his action,impassive,
almost shrewd to everything and without scruple and here with have Mirai, at the begging he has no real interesting motivation or any drive to do he just sort of gets dragged into everything and when he was about to commit suicide he get saved from an angel, Nasse, the opposite of Ryuk but with a little bit of evil around her powers.
Nasse gave to Mirai wings and two arrows that can either kill others and the make them fall in love with him to take advantage of them. And so Mirai gains a new lease on life, which starts with taking revenge on the relatives who stole his happiness.
So here we talk about personal revenge an research of personal happiness, opposite to what was in the mind of Light Yagami at the start, save the world and get rid of everyone not deserving.
Unlike in Death Note where Light is pratically possesed by the Death note and Ryuk is standing near him like a scientist who would just observe his madness increasing, Mirai is actually the kindest of this story’s characters, meant to be a voice of reason standing against Nasse’s “let’s kill everyone you dislike”.
That’s what I love.
The contrast.
Having these two series is like having an angel and a demon on the shoulders with the difference that both of them are meant to confuse you.
Platinum End strives for occasional philosophical depth in the way it engages with happiness and humanity.
This manga shows huge potential, I must suggest it to everyone.
So here we go, that’s why I would love to have Volume 2, so that I can continue this amazing series.
2)About the manga that I enjoyed this year we have Deadman Wonderland and a manhwa, Noblesse.
—Deadman Wonderland despite the horibble adaptation in the anime has an amazing manga,
it brought so many twists and turns and it has a fantastic concept behind, the freedom.
Even in prison.
Yes, cause the manga is set in a prison called Deadman Wonderland that doubles as an amusement park.
The prisoner are obliged to work and for the sake of their lifes to play games to entratein the people who came to the park and to gain money, to buy an antidote that cancels the effect of the poison that is injected by the collars that they always wear.
— Noblesse is a fantastic manhwa, the story is really good and the artwork is fantastic too!
The action sequences are so pure they leave goosebumps and chill for avid readers.
The story revolves around a vampire theme, and even if it’s not something new in the vast land of manga and comics it show some drastic change, the Noble look at vampires is the focal point concerning the vampires, nobles, and the humans.
The story is focused on Cadis a vampire that after a 820 year slumber woke up to current human society, so along with his poor knowledge on current society in addition to his own personality, there are a lot of hilarious situations.
This manhwa is really good and the thing that I enjoyed the most is the art, it’s really really good.
3)My twitter is @matymolinari__
I’ve tweeted about the contest and retweeted your post.
Thank you for this oppurtunity!🤗
Platinum End! I have the first volume, but I somehow haven’t actually read it yet. ^_^; (I do love the English-language edition’s iridescent cover, though.) Death Note was one of the first manga I made a point to read. I greatly enjoyed the beginning of Deadman Wonderland; I really need to finish that series. Noblesse sounds really interesting, too!
I really suggest you to finsih them all :) and I hope you will enjoy all of them, also thank you again for this chance💕
You are very welcome! Thank you for participating and for the recommendations!
1. Easily the top seat on my wishlist goes to Sweet Blues Flowers v.2. I’ve literally waited years for this title to be published in print in English (and honestly didn’t really expect it to be after Wandering Son was dropped). I seriously adore this series and highly recommend it, even if it’s the very first yuri manga you’ve ever read. The art, characterization, tone and setting are all very strong and endearing. That said, if you only read manga for action and horror, and can’t stomach cute and heartwarming, don’t read it.
2. Ugh. Too many. For the sake of brevity, I’ll only list the things I gave five stars to. In terms of manga in English I loved Bloom Into You v.1-3; Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl v.1 & 2; After Hours v.1; Horimiya v.1; Voice Over!: Seiyu Academy, Vol. 8 & 12; and Sand Chronicles v.1.
In terms of non-manga, I very much enjoyed Ellen Klages’s “Passing Strange”; Melissa Brayden’s “First Position”; Ellen Kushner [et. al]’s ”
Tremontaine”; Malinda Lo’s “A Line in the Dark” and Keiko Nitanai’s “Kimono Design: An Introduction to Textiles and Patterns”.
Oh my gosh, Sweet Blue Flowers! I am so incredibly happy the series is finally getting a proper release in English. I absolutely loved the first omnibus. It’s wonderful to see so many and such a variety of yuri series being licensed now.
I actually came across Kimono Design the other day! (I forget why, exactly.) It made me think of you, so I’m glad you had the chance to give it a look.
1) The World’s Greatest First Love Volume 6 – The World’s Greatest First Love/ Sekaiichi Hatsukoi is my first yaoi/shounen ai anime that introduced me to the world of Yaoi and Yuri. I never had much of a opinion on gay relationships while watching anime. I loved romantic comedy anime but after watching so many it started to lose its charm but The World’s Greatest First Love bought it back. I loved how it got back my love for romantic comedy anime and it made my heart skip a beat. I think some people will say that The World’s Greatest First Love is cliche, boring and meaningless but to me and the many fans supporting the manga, it meant something much more. It was one of the biggest changers in my life and I would never regret it. It made me happier and made me realize that life is more meaningful if you learn to finally look at it.
2) Other than reading World’s Greatest First Love, I also enjoyed Hidoku Shinaide/ Don’t Be Cruel. I am caught up and collected all of the English releases. This manga has some dark themes at the beginning. I thought it was the typical yaoi manga with rape and blackmail but it evolved into something more. It showed the mistakes that happened in the past and fixed them. All the yaoi manga that had blackmail, rape etc just push it under the rug and moved on with their lovey-dovey relationship like the blackmail had never happened. I appreciate that the manga fixed their problem that happened in the beginning
3) RT: @Sevolsyob
I’m so glad that you found a series that revived your love for something that you enjoyed! In addition to being a romantic comedy, one of the things that I really like about The World’s Greatest First Love is that so much of it takes place in the manga publishing industry. I haven’t read the main series of Don’t Be Cruel yet, but I did enjoy the collection of side stories. My first real introduction to yaoi was Hey, Sensei? by Yaya Sakuragi which ignited my interest in the genre.
I love Yaya Sakuragi’s works. I have the full series of Bonds of Dreams, Bonds of Love. I also loved Hide and Seek, Sakuragi’s art style is so beautiful and I enjoy reading about the lives of her characters. I especially love the character Ao from Bonds of Dreams, Bonds of Love. I love how daring and crazy he is towards Ryoumei. Most yaoi I have read always has the seme/top make the moves while the uke/bottom just blushes and accepts it.
I really love Sakuragi’s other manga, too! :D
I really like how she puts little twists on the usual genre tropes and character types, her art style, and the humor she incorporates into her stories. I also thought it was interesting how Bond of Dreams, Bond of Love and Hide and Seek were interconnected series!
1) Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun Vol 6. – I loved Oresama Teacher by Izumi Tsubaki so I was surprised and excited that this series was written by the same author. The likable characters, great artwork and interesting plot captivated me. It’s been a while since I read something similar to Ouran High School Host Club and this series easily tops my list for romance and comedy manga.
2) As for something I read in 2017, I enjoyed reading Natsume’s Book of Friends/Natsume Yuujinchou. The manga is a nice read since the plot is simple yet powerful and the artwork is beautiful. I love following Natsume’s character development throughout the manga and reading about the stories of each yokai because they’re relatable.
3) Retweeted @jizoosus
I love Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-Kun so much! I’m now going back to read Oresama Teacher for the first time and I’m really enjoying it, too. I’ve fallen behind with Natsume’s Book of Friends, but it’s such a lovely series. I’m hoping to catch up soon. ^_^
1.)My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness is the top of my list that I would like. I think it’s a title that everyone of all demographics that has major depression can relate to. Yes, the story is heavy, but it’s very much needed because most people think of depression as like “Oh, you’re sad. Cheer up, okay?” when it’s not that simple.
2.) I would say that Golden Kamuy is on the top of my “have-read” list of 2017. I heard a lot of internet buzz about the title and it’s got action/comedy/drama all in one violent package. I’ve been waiting for an English release for a while and it hasn’t disappointed.
3.) @MangaTherapy, though all my other contact avenues are listed too!
It wasn’t always an easy read, but My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness certainly hit home for me. I appreciated the creator’s frankness about her own situation. Hopefully others can gain a better understanding of some of the complexities of mental health from it.
I’ve been enjoying Golden Kamuy, as well! I was completely unaware of the series until I saw so many people excited over its license. I actually just read the second volume yesterday and am looking forward to more. :)
1) I would really love to have Volume 1 of “The Case Study of Vanitas” by Jun Mochizuki I’ve read some chapter on internet but I really hate reading manga on internet 🙄.
I know its not a 2017 release but it was realesed in late 2016 (12/20/2016) and it became popular in 2017.
I would really love to have the first volume , but if it’s not possibile it would be okay even the second volume that was release in 2017.
It’s really a piece of art, ther’s a lot of steampunk so I love it, and the covers omg they are fantastic!
2) This year I enjoyed Vagabond, an old manga but really really fantastic, I had already read the first 3 volumes and this year I enjoyed volume 4.
They are litterally piecies of art, the drawing are amazing, the story is fantastic and so cinematic I couldn’t have asked for more.
Old but gold.
3) My Twitter is account is @Otakuumood I’ve followed you and retweeted your post about the contest.
Really thank your for this giveaway and thank you for your time, I love reading your reviews they are always clear, accurate and simple to undestand😊
I haven’t read The Case Study of Vanitas yet, but it’s on my list to try after finishing Pandora Hearts, which I’ve been enjoying. And I completely agree about Vagabond! It’s a tremendous work. Inoue’s illustrations and storytelling are superb. I would also highly recommend Real by the same creator if you’ve not tried it. (I reviewed the first five volumes a few years back.) Although an entirely different genre, like Vagabond, Real is a beautifully drawn and told story.
Also, thank you so much for the kind words! ^_^
I love Pandora Hearts too! It’ a really good series.
About Real, I know this manga, not long time ago I have seen some pages on internet and fallen in love with it too, so now it’s on my list😉
I’m glad to hear that, and I hope you enjoy! I really love all of Inoue’s manga and illustrations. He’s an amazing artist. :D
1) I’m tempted to request The Girl from the Other Side, since I know I’m going to love it when I finally get my hands on a copy. But I’m going to go ahead and ask for So Pretty / Very Rotten instead.
I was in high school when I stumbled across the manga version of Kamikaze Girls and googled “Baby, the Stars Shine Bright” without actually expecting a real store to show up. I remember looking at my first onepiece, which looked like a wedding cake made by an overenthusiastic six year old, and falling completely in love.
Lolita’s come to mean a lot of different things to me over the years, but I still feel like a heroine starring in my own special story when I wear it. I used to spend so much time reading the blogs of other girls (and guys!) in the community. I’d love to try the essays in So Pretty / Very Rotten to see if they capture the same feeling.
2) I made it my mission last year to read a bunch of older series I’d been putting off. My favourites were Pandora Hearts (which had all the complex character webs, cute poly ships and ridiculous twists I was hoping for), and House of Five Leaves. I often find Natsume Ono’s tales a bit too slow for my tastes, but whenever I finished a volume of House of Five Leaves I kicked myself for not already having the next one at hand.
This was also the year I discovered Lezhin Comics and they promptly took over my life. My Secret Brother in particular has been liberally recommended to every shoujo fan I know. I know you don’t read things digitally, so fingers crossed they’ll release a print copy of some of their titles!
The Girl from the Other Side is marvelous; definitely one of my favorite works released in 2017. I really liked So Pretty/Very Rotten, too! I don’t have a particular interest in fashion, but even so I still found the book to be both fascinating and engaging. (It also inspired me to track down the various incarnations of Kamikaze Girls!)
I still need to finish up Pandora Hearts, myself, but House of Five Leaves is a series that I devoured as it was released. My introduction to it was actually through the anime adaptation (which I also loved) and the manga is probably my favorite work by Ono that I’ve read so far. ^_^
Hopefully not too late to the party, but here’s what I’d love:
1) Erased, Vol. 3 (Have the first 2 volumes for our library, but this would be a great addition to prepare for the last volume in Feb.)
2) I really enjoyed the Zeroth Maria and Re:Zero light novels this year. I never knew I had a thing for repeating days/weeks stories, but I guess I do.
Best Wishes and Happy New Year!
Joseph
I’m not very familiar with either Zeroth Maria or Re:Zero (other than knowing they exist). However, I am thoroughly enjoying Erased! It took me a few chapters for the manga to really click with me, but once it did I was hooked. :)
Happy New Year and all the best to you, too! :D