A much quieter 2nd week at your local Comick Shoppe, which is good, as I still have a backlog to get from last week.
Dark Horse’s agreement with CLAMP not only allows them to release things like Kobato, and re-release things like Chobits, but also allows for the more obscure side of CLAMP to shine through. This week it’s Okimono Kimono, which is where Mokona (the CLAMP artist, not the cute-yet-annoying mascot) shows us her utter obsession with kimonos. I really have no idea what this will be like, but certainly the fact that Dark Horse is releasing it at all is praiseworthy.
Viz has its usual 2nd week line. (In case you hadn’t figured out the way Viz typically releases things every month, the first week is Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat titles, the 2nd week is Shonen Sunday and ‘miscellaneous publishers’ (such as Square Enix, Shonen Gahosha, and Hakusensha’s seinen stuff), and the 3rd week is the Signature and more upscale titles.)
Oh, but wait? How did Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo 4 escape to Week 2? And hey, Hayate 15 and Gestalt got moved to Week 3! Sure, Viz, make me look like the bad guy now… (pouts) In any case, Bobobo will be enjoyed by the 2 or so people who buy it. There’s also a new Battle Angel Alita, a title I never did catch up with after it rebooted, but I know has many fans. Who no doubt argue it should be called Gunnm, just like in Japan. :) I’ve also gotten behind on Detroit Metal City, whose sadistic humor is beloved by many.
And Yen has a huge pile of stuff. Darker Than Black is complete in one volume, and is yet another “wait, this is shoujo?” title from our friends at Asuka magazine. I love Bamboo Blade a lot, and am pleased to see a new volume come so soon after 4 came out. The Haruhi manga is the least compelling of the 3 released Haruhi versions, but is still worth a look, mostly as when the artist is allowed to stray from the book plots the manga becomes far more interesting. And Soul Eater 3 is a MUST READ for art and architecture students, as its backgrounds are like the Bauhaus on crack.
Dark Horse doesn't release Kobato, but Yen does. The CLAMP manga Dark Horse has are Chobits, Rayearth, Cardcaptor Sakura, Clover, and upcoming mangettes.