Japanese Cuisine


Tetsu Kariya - 2006
    To commemorate its 100th anniversary the heads of newspaper Tozai Shimbun come up with a plan to publish the “Ultimate Menu”. The assignment is given to journalist Yamaoka Shiro, the protagonist of the series. With the help of a female coworker, Kurita Yuko, Yamaoka starts off on what can only be termed an epic saga to find the dishes hat will go into the “Ultimate Menu”. The subject of volume 1 is Nishon ryori, or Japanese cuisine, featuring stories on subjects like how to prepare a proper dashi (broth that is one of the building blocks of Japanese cooking), or matcha (the powdered green tea used in the tea ceremony), or red snapper sashimi. The subjects of the later volumes are: 2) sake, 3) fish, 4) vegetables, 5) rice dishes, 6) udon, and 7) izakaya or “pub” food.

My Brother's Husband, Volume 1


Gengoroh Tagame - 2015
    Their lives suddenly change with the arrival at their doorstep of a hulking, affable Canadian named Mike Flanagan, who declares himself the widower of Yaichi's estranged gay twin, Ryoji. Mike is on a quest to explore Ryoji's past, and the family reluctantly but dutifully takes him in. What follows is an unprecedented and heartbreaking look at the state of a largely still-closeted Japanese gay culture: how it's been affected by the West, and how the next generation can change the preconceptions about it and prejudices against it.(Please note: This book is a traditional work of manga, and reads back to front and right to left.)

Pride & Prejudice


Stacy King - 2014
    All of the joy, heartache, and romance of Jane Austen's original, perfectly illuminated by the sumptuous art of manga-ka Po Tse, and faithfully adapted by Stacy E. King.

Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 1


Afro - 2015
    Fuji in view. Nadeshiko rides her bike to see Mt. Fuji, too. As the two eat cup noodles together, what scenery will they behold? This series will make readers fall in love with camping!

Butterflies, Flowers, Vol. 1


Yuki Yoshihara - 2006
    She joins a real estate company as an entry-level office worker, but her eccentric boss is harder on her than anyone else in the company! After hearing him inadvertently call her "milady," she realizes he was the young servant boy she knew as a child. At work he's a tyrant, but after hours he insists on treating her like a lady of the nobility. Is romance even possible for a couple locked in such a crazy role reversal?

Reborn! Vol. 01: Reborn Arrives!


Akira Amano - 2004
    He only attends school so he can stare at his beautiful classmate Kyoko from afar. But Tsuna's life takes a dramatic turn when Reborn, a suit-wearing, gun-toting baby who claims to be an Italian hit man, shows up at his house. Reborn was sent to Japan to groom Tsuna for his future life as a big Mafia boss. Tsuna doesn't believe this absurd story, so Reborn shoots Tsuna in the head with his gun. As Tsuna faces his own death, he's filled with regret that he never confessed his feelings to Kyoko...and suddenly he's overcome with supernatural powers that allow him to run off screaming to tell Kyoko how much he loves her. After five minutes, Tsuna goes back to normal. Reborn explains how his gun works: when he shoots a person in the head, if that person has regrets about her life, then she will die and be reborn, temporarily endowed with special powers that enable her to fix or solve whatever is the source of her regret. (If Reborn shoots someone who is free of regret, she would die.)Tsuna becomes Reborn's disciple, and because Reborn shoots Tsuna in the head all the time, he is constantly being reborn and growing into a stronger and better person, gradually impressing those around him and making friends.---Taken from back cover:HERE COMES REBORN!Junior high student Tsuna is a failure at school, sports, and social life. He needs a Mafia hit man tutor like he needs a hole in the head...and he's about to get both!When Reborn, a fedora-wearing, gun-toting toddler, arrives and says he's come to groom Tsuna for his future as boss of an Italian organized crime family, Tsuna is more than a little skeptical. But Reborn may have the "magic bullet" necessary to turn Tsuna's life around!

In This Corner of the World


Fumiyo Kouno - 2007
    Suzu, a young woman from the countryside, joins her new husband and his family in the shipbuilding city of Kure. As her beautiful home collapses around her, Suzu must confront the challenges of a new life while coming to grips with a world in turmoil. Unwilling to give up hope, Suzu struggles against the horrors of war to create her own happiness.

Gin Tama, Vol. 1


Hideaki Sorachi - 2004
    In his days, Gintoki is joined by Shinpachi Shimura, a teenager son of a samurai who wants to learn about him, and Kagura, an alien girl who went to Earth to earn money for her poor family, but is unable to return home and threatens Gintoki to let her live with him. While Kagura and Shinpachi live with Gintoki, they meet a terrorist named Kotaro Katsura who participated alongside Gintoki in the war between samurais and aliens, and lost. Odd Jobs is forced to help Katsura escape from the Shinsengumi, a police force working for the Bakufu, after they accidentally perform a terrorist attack. The volume ends with a one-shot from Sorachi named "Dandelion", which explores the work of a pair of exorcists.

Beauty Pop, Vol. 1


Kiyoko Arai - 2004
    Determined to become the best makeover team in Japan, they give showy makeovers to handpicked girls. As much as Kiri tries to shy away from the Scissors Project spotlight, she finds herself responding to beauty's call...Kiri's friend Kanako gives a present to one of the members of the Scissors Project. Her act of kindness is interpreted as a bribe to get a makeover, and they reject her out of hand for being too ugly. Kiri decides to help Kanako and give the boys a lesson in what true beauty is.

Wolf Children: Ame & Yuki


Mamoru Hosoda - 2012
    Instead of rejecting her lover upon learning his secret, she accepts him with open arms. Soon, the couple is expecting their first child, and a cozy picture of family life unfolds. But after what seems like a mere moment of bliss to Hana, the father of her children is tragically taken from her. Life as a single mother is hard in any situation, but when your children walk a fine line between man and beast, the rules of parenting all but go out the window. With no one to turn to, how will Hana survive?

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.

Chibi Vampire, Vol. 01


Yuna Kagesaki - 2003
    with a twist. Once a month, she experiences intense bleeding from her nose - we're talking gushers! In other words, she's a vamp with blood to spare, so rather than stealing blood from humans she actually gives her blood to them.