A particularly busy week for Midtown, especially for a Week 5, traditionally a time when few titles drop. Tokyopop’s new end of month schedule, though, means we get a pile now that they’re back in the groove. (Bless them for this, by the way; 3 years ago, they shipped the same week Viz did. It was hell.)

Let’s start with Tokyopop, who have the most coming out. More of my favorite comfort manga from Hakusensha, this time around it’s Maid-sama and Happy Cafe. I don’t follow NG Life, but I hear good things about it as well. Meanwhile, for josei fans, Suppli has returned, with a 2-volume 4&5 combo for… well, twice the price. Still, it’s out! There’s some mangas that take genre and tweak it a bit, with Zone-00 (runs in Asuka, so technically shoujo) and Foxy Lady (runs in Comic Zero-Sum, so kinda josei). And of course there’s Samurai Harem, a title just as tasteful and refined as Monthly Shonen Champion, the magazine it oozes in. Erm, runs in, I mean.

Oh look, Kodansha USA have the 2nd Akira volume out! I am assuming, like Vol. 1, this will be the Dark Horse edition only with the words ‘Dark Horse’ replaced with ‘Kodansha’. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

Digital Manga Publishing will have the final volume of Millennium Prime Minister, a not-quite-yaoi-but-has-lots-of-tease title that typifies the magazine it runs in, Wings. Meanwhile, in DMP’s actual yaoi titles, smirking blonds wrap their arms around cowering brunets. (Which, to be fair, you see a lot of in shoujo as well.)

Del Rey has a welcome license rescue, as we see the final 2 volumes (in one omnibus) of Samurai Deeper Kyo, late of Tokyopop. I lost track of this series about Vol. 5 or so, but it has quite an enthusiastic fandom, so I welcome its return. I already praised Moyasimon earlier today, see my previous review. Fairy Tail will continue to torture Erza, presumably. And a mere 2 years after the first novel, we get Zaregoto Book 2, featuring one of the most fascinating and frustrating narrators I’ve ever read. If you want to read a book narrated by a diffuse cloud, this may be the one. But a RIVETING diffuse cloud.

And saving the saddest for last, the final CMX titles. I’ve praised Teru Teru x Shonen before, with its great tale of ninjas and romance, as well as its rehabilitation of its misunderstood (and fiery) heroine. It has 4 volumes never released here now. Stolen Hearts took the mangasphere by storm with its adorable couple when it appeared earlier this year; this is the 2nd volume. The series is still running in Japan, Vol. 5 is due out later this month, I believe. And Orfina ends here with Vol. 8 of 12, another shonen fantasy that CMX liked to put out that never got as much chatter as their shoujo. We’ll miss you, CMX. We’re still annoyed at you, DC. How about some digital downloads of the remaining volumes for your new digital enterprise, huh?

Getting pride of place this week (and next as well most likely) are the CMX titles. The last ones that CMX is releasing out of the goodness of their hearts and the realization that they were already back from the printers!

Venus Capriccio is great, and will be ending here with one volume untranslated. Two Flowers for the Dragon is cute, and will ALSO be ending here with one volume left untranslated. Volume 1 of the Flex Comics title Polyphonica Cardinal Crimson is due out… try not to get hooked on it, I guess. And Musashi #9 Volume 17 comes out, with 4 volumes left out in the cold. Buy them all anyway. Because we’re CMX lovers, dammit, and we support them despite being a DC Comics enterprise.

Meanwhile, Bandai is releasing – I’m not making this up – Gundam-00 Season 2 Volume 2. No, that’s not a Funimation DVD release, it’s the actual manga title. Are Sunrise even trying anymore? Gundam-00 Season 2? Why not Gundam-11 then? Or Gundam-OMGLOLWTFBBQ? In any case, I hear it may have mecha in it.

Gantz has a new volume out as well for you folks who like a little bit of the ol’ ultraviolence. Midtown Comics is putting out all the Viz stuff I already recced last week. DMP has some yaoi as well. I recommend How to Control a Sidecar, which features *three* boys snuggling rakishly on the cover, rather than the traditional two.

And, for non-manga fans, IDW is putting out a hardcover volume. Archie: The Best of Dan DeCarlo Volume 1. It’s a $25 hardcover, but really, I want everyone in the entire WORLD to buy this, and then turn towards Mamaroneck, New York and shout as loud as you can, “My favorite artist is Dan DeCarlo!” And then settle back and enjoy this wonderful retrospective of your childhood (or at least of mine). For those wondering what the hell I’m talking about, here: Dan DeCarlo: Unperson.

Well, according to Midtown Comics, there is precisely one manga coming out next week. And it’s one that Diamond already released to most shops this week! I guess that makes this the easiest recommendation ever.

The next arc of Higurashi: When They Cry, the ‘Time Killing’ Arc (aka Himatsubushi-hen) gets its first of 2 volumes released. For those like myself who have grown weary of Keiichi failing to stop hideous slaughter as the main character, you’ll be pleased to know this volume, taking place 5 years before the first 3 arcs, features Rika Furude as the lead! Of course, Higurashi *does* have 4 answer arcs still to come, as well as manga-only arcs. So, well, don’t expect a happy ending. But then, if you read Higurashi, you’d know this already.

Midtown is not listing Viz’s Week 3 releases, however, I’m going to assume that Diamond will ship them on the date Viz says they’re coming out, so let me talk about them here as well.

Hayate the Combat Butler is probably the funniest manga currently coming out from Shonen Sunday, and Volume 15 should prove to be no exception. Expect much wacky butler hijinks. It may not last long, however – Volumes 17 and 18 will bring a huge tonal shift to the series. But that’s not for 6-9 more months.

Ikki puts out the third volume of Children of the Sea. I recall when I read Volume 2, I put it off for a while, forgetting how much I’d adored Volume 1. I then started to read it, and literally could not stop. I won’t be waiting as long for this volume, Sure, I expect very little will actually happen, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the point.

And there’s also the first volume of Afterschool Charisma, a very odd title indeed. The plot seems to involve a conspiracy at a school of clones of famous people… but I’m sure it will be far more complicated. I’m still not sure exactly where this title is going, but perhaps reading it in Volume format will help to coalesce my thoughts.

And oh boy, another volume of 20th Century Boys so I can be even further behind! One day I just need to catch up in one long, massive read.