Hey manga friends,
September has a very specific kind of energy, at least for me.
Even though I haven't been near a classroom in years, it still feels like the month for buying a new notebook, choosing a suspiciously expensive pen, and deciding that this time I will finally become an organised person. This transformation usually lasts until page three.
There is something exciting about a completely blank page, though. At least until you have to put something on it. Then the blank page suddenly starts to look a little smug.
Which makes September the perfect time for Draw This, Then Die!, a manga about loving manga so much that you make the dangerous decision to create one yourself. Volume 1 has just arrived in English and is also part of our Firsties Collection. That means you can pick it up with 25% off.
So find a comfortable spot, move that untouched sketchbook slightly out of sight, and let's jump in.
Draw This, Then Die!
So what is Draw This, Then Die! about? Yasumi Ai is a first-year high school student living on the remote island of Izu Ōshima, and she is completely obsessed with manga. Reading manga is the easy part. Making one is something else entirely.
When Ai discovers that Hoshino-sensei, her reclusive favourite mangaka, will make a rare appearance at Comitia, she knows she has to go. That journey brings her much closer to the reality of manga creation than she expected and slowly pushes her towards putting her own ideas on paper.
What I really like about this first volume is that it understands the enormous gap between loving art and actually making it. Ai isn't introduced as a fully formed genius waiting to be discovered. She is enthusiastic, inexperienced, and sometimes completely overwhelmed.
The manga is funny and warm, but it doesn't pretend that creating art is an endless stream of inspiration. There is frustration, doubt, hard work, and the uncomfortable realisation that loving something doesn't automatically make you good at it.
The series has already won both the Manga Taishō and a Shogakukan Manga Award, and it isn't difficult to see why. If you enjoy coming-of-age stories, manga about making manga, or characters who throw themselves into a new passion without having any idea where it will lead, this is an easy recommendation.
Draw This, Then Die! Vol. 1
Shop nowSmall Publishers, Big Surprises
One of the most exciting things about the English manga market right now is the number of smaller and newer publishers bringing us books that might once have been considered too unusual, too old, or simply too difficult to sell. The shelves are becoming stranger in the best possible way.
One of the new names at Walt's is Kodama Tales. Their catalogue already jumps from brutal martial arts to psychological horror and quiet fantasy, which is quite a range for a young publisher. But the book I really want to talk about is Magica Vol. 1.
Magica is one of those manga that makes a very particular first impression. The rounded character designs, soft colours, and full-colour pages make it look like a gentle children's storybook. You could easily pick it up expecting something sweet, simple, and safe. It is sweet at times. The other two are much more debatable.
The manga is a collection of fairy-tale-like short stories connected by a beautiful mage and one rather unusual spell. Each tale introduces a new world and a new group of characters, but they deal with surprisingly heavy subjects: grief, loneliness, death, cruelty, and the damage people can cause while convincing themselves that they are doing the right thing. Some of the stories begin with all the comfort of a bedtime tale and then quietly lead you somewhere much darker.
And the artwork is gorgeous. The “childlike designs” aren't hiding a lack of depth; they make the darker moments hit harder. That contrast gives the manga an identity of its own and makes the physical full-colour edition feel particularly special.
If you're looking for a fantasy manga that can be read in small pieces but still carries real emotional weight, I absolutely recommend giving this one a chance. It looks charming on the shelf, and it is charming. Just not always in the way you expect.
Magica Vol. 1
Shop nowAnd Then There Is Baki
Going from delicate magical gemstones to extremely large men punching each other may not be the smoothest transition I have ever written.
Baki the Grappler is easily the biggest Kodama Tales series on our shelves right now. We currently have Volumes 1-12 of the Perfect Edition, and more will follow. This new edition brings the beginning of Keisuke Itagaki's hugely influential series to English print officially for the first time. If you only know Baki from the later anime adaptations, this is your chance to go back to where the entire saga started.
And allow me one small side quest before we leave the Itagaki family: Keisuke Itagaki is also the father of Paru Itagaki, the creator of BEASTARS. Apparently, a taste for strange stories and an impressive amount of muscle runs in the family.
If you prefer horror that gets under your skin instead of trying to punch through it, Kodama Tales also has Smile!. It is a dark cult mystery and one of those books where the friendly title should not be trusted for a second.
A Little More Is on the Way
Kodama Tales has another major series heading to our shelves: Sun-Ken Rock by Boichi, the artist behind Dr. Stone. The new English Perfect Edition collects roughly two original volumes at a time, with redesigned covers and an updated translation. We'll let you know as soon as it arrives.
And Kodama Tales isn't the only new publisher joining the shop. Manga Mavericks will also be making its way onto our shelves soon, bringing even more independent manga with it. We'll take a closer look once the books are here.
In other words, the shelves are about to become even more crowded. And those aren't the only new arrivals worth a look. A whole stack of Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You and Dengeki Daisy volumes has arrived as part of VIZ's latest round of reprints. I am especially happy about Dengeki Daisy, since it is one of my all-time favourites.
There are plenty of brand-new VIZ releases too, including Kaiju No. 8 Vol. 16, the final volume of the series. Excellent news for manga. Slightly worrying news for anyone who has run out of bookcases.
That’s all from me this month.
And yeah, if that expensive new notebook ends up containing nothing but a manga shopping list, I would still count that as being organised.
Happy reading, and see you next month!
