Best of
Slice-Of-Life

2000

Azumanga Daioh, Vol. 1


Kiyohiko Azuma - 2000
    Teacher Yukari Tanizaki is oblivious, immature, emotional and one of the people shaping young minds. Her students face difficulties in school that most never imagined. For example, as one pupil starts to ask a question, Miss Yukari cuts him off, stating she won't talk about her bra size. Another group of students are ready for their lessons, but instead of learning about social studies or science, they learn how Miss Yukari spent her weekend. Maybe that's not so bad, considering Miss Yukari's not the brightest bulb in the bunch and has her students correcting her on many technical points. Her students aren't sure how to react, but their bewilderment is half the charm of this manga. Like the 1980s TV series Head of the Class, Azu has an eclectic mix of pupils ranging from child geniuses to sports enthusiasts to tough girls; each possessing much more than meets the eye. The precocious child genius may be great at academic subjects, but she still draws like a little girl and has the emotions of a kid. The unemotional tough teen melts for tiny animals and longs to have a pet of her own, even if all of the creatures she comes in contact with seem to hate her. The art is simple and minimalistic, but adequately conveys the thought and emotion behind each strip. Azuma's cast has depth, dimension and character, and their story heartily entertains.

Burn Collector: Collected Stories from One Through Nine


Al Burian - 2000
    This new release of a cult classic shows the far reaching influence of self-publishing with contemporary popular indie culture and bridges the gap between sub-culture and the world at large.

Farewell Thrush Green


Miss Read - 2000
    

Butterscotch Blues


Margaret Johnson-Hodge - 2000
    The author of The Real Deal now renders the poignant story of a 34-year-old woman finding the love of her life and then having her faith in the relationship tested when he becomes HIV positive.

ごくせん 1


Kozueko Morimoto - 2000
    Unfortunately for her, she's assigned by the school board as the homeroom teacher for class 3-D, which happens to be the class of delinquent students. When the class attempts to make a living hell out of Yankumi's career, they fail as her persistence and aggression gain her respect. However, little does anyone in the school know that Yankumi is actually heir to the Kuroda Ikka - one of Tokyo's most powerful yakuza clans.

Electric God


Catherine Ryan Hyde - 2000
    He has a bad habit of breaking people’s jaws and getting thrown into jail. Granted, he only breaks jaws that deserved some breaking, but his anger is tearing his life apart. And now he’s starting a whole new feud, this time with the once-estranged, now-reconciled husband of his lover, Laurel. This is the one that will very nearly cost him his life.The story then swings back in time to the roots of Hayden’s anger: the father who tormented him, the kid brother who got all the approval, and the one fatal mistake that Hayden has never been able to forgive himself for making.Back in Hayden’s present, as he is trying to get out of the hospital and back on his feet, his daughter Allegra comes back around. He hasn’t seen her in more than 15 years, but she’s getting married, and wants her father to walk her down the aisle. But Hayden can barely walk. And he’s not ready to confront the wife and daughter who exiled him, his family of origin, and his painful past. But the past catches up with Hayden, ready or not. And Hayden, now too disabled for violence, must work all the way through his anger and find new ways to make peace with his life.

Work, Fight and Love


Yoo Ha Jin - 2000
    He works at a small ad agency that's about to go bankrupt anytime soon. One day, the president of the company introduces a new employee named Taeyul who was scouted from an industry-leading firm to vitalize the company. From the first encounter, Soohan doesn't like Taeyul... because Taeyul reminds Soohan his first love.

Inner Voices


Kishori Charan Das - 2000
    In this collection of nine short stories, Das observes the many facets of the Indian middle class, the choices they make, the disenchantments and anxieties that characterize their lives, their petty foibles and great expectations.