Search Results for: sayonara zetsubou

May 11, 2009 Johanna Del Rey Manga Reviews 2 comments

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei Volume 1

Subtitled The Power of Negative Thinking, this series by Koji Kumeta is the story of depressed, suicidal schoolteacher Nozomu. (The title translates as “Goodbye, Mr. Despair”.) Except, not really. It’s really a device to tell stories about his various students, all of which have their own unusual problems. I found it first shocking and then wonderful, because I like black humor. In the opening scene, the eternally optimistic and hopeful Kafuka comes across her teacher trying to hang himself, as […]

No Matter How I Look at It, It's You Guys' Fault I'm Not Popular! volume 1

February 18, 2014 Johanna Yen Press Manga Reviews 3 comments

No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular! Volumes 1-2

That great, excessively long title No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular! has little to do with the content of the book — although the premise is even more out-there than the title suggests — and is thankfully abbreviated “WataMote” (after the first two major words in the Japanese title). It’s the story of Tomoko, who’s entering high school dreaming of being popular. She’s terrific at dating sim video games, you see, and […]

July 28, 2013 Johanna Manga News One comment

Kodansha Goes Digital, Ignores ComiXology

Earlier this month, Kodansha Comics announced that they were launching an ebook program. (In spite of their name, Kodansha publishes manga, including such well-known titles as Akira, The Ghost in the Shell, Fairy Tail, and Sailor Moon.) They announced the debut on “multiple platforms, including Apple’s iBookstore, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, and Google Play”… but not the best-known comic site, comiXology. But then, their American partner is Random House, so they’re focused on the bookstore market and book […]

December 12, 2010 Johanna Manga News 4 comments

Kodansha Comics Announces Upcoming Titles for Summer 2011

Today, Kodansha Comics announced their much-awaited lineup of manga. Since they replaced Del Rey Manga at the beginning of this month, fans have been eager to hear which ongoing series will be continuing and which new titles may be coming. The front page of the Kodansha US website currently reads as follows: The following new titles will make their English-language debut next summer: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney returns in this new manga series written by Kenji Kuroda and illustrated by […]

December 16, 2009 Johanna Manga News 2 comments

Best Manga of 2009

For the purpose of this post, I’m using a highly idiosyncratic definition of “best”, based mostly on what I looked forward to and enjoyed re-reading. I have a few subcategories, under which I’ve ranked a maximum of five titles, with #1 being best. Links take you to reviews of the titles. Best New Manga Pluto — Simply astounding, a meditation on the nature of what it means to be human in a time of great crisis, told through a gripping […]