This year has given us many reasons to celebrate being a manga fan whether it be; Yen Press moving into releasing notable titles in hardcover, digital releases from Star Fruit Books helping bring more recognition to independent mangakas’, or Hollows Press‘s continued commitment to releasing high quality limited runs of underground comics. It also marks AMP’s first full year of providing manga reviews to our readers. As such, we have decided to compile a list of our ten favorite manga titles published this year.
1. My Broken Mariko by Waka Hirako (Yen Press)
Tomoyo Shiino has stood by her friend Mariko through years of abuse, abandonment, and depression. However horrific her circumstances, their friendship has been the one reassuring constant in Mariko’s life-and Tomoyo’s too. That is, until Tomoyo is utterly blindsided by news of Mariko’s death. In life, Tomoyo felt powerless to help her best friend out of the darkness that ultimately drove her over the edge. Now, Tomoyo is determined to liberate Mariko’s ashes for one final journey together… to set free her dear, broken Mariko. (Yen Press)
“My Broken Mariko” is a profound and poignant work, made all the more miraculous coming from a debut series. Fans of established writers, like Inio Asano (“Downfall”, “Nijigahara Holograph“) and Shuzo Oshimi (“Flowers of Evil”, Blood on the Tracks”), will instantly be drawn to the approach and tact in exploring difficult subjects. Additionally, with this being one of the first forays’ of Yen Press into hardcover releases, the work is an ideal choice for the publisher to give the high quality treatment. It is seldom a debut work shows this degree of maturity and mastery over the medium, which makes Waka Hiroki is a name to keep an eye on.
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2. Tetsupendium Tawarapedia by Tetsunori Tawaraya (Hollow Press)
Collecting the works of Japanese visual artist and musician Tetsunori Tawaraya, “Tetsupendium Tawarapedia” (from Hollow Press) contains a decade’s period, 2002-2012, of the unique visual styling and narrative approach of the riotous creator. The 15 collected offer a broad and varied look into Tawaraya through the 2000’s and early 2010’s.
It is without question that “Tesupendium Tawarapedia” will hold limited appeal, which is often the intended nature of underground comics. However, For those willing to explore, or those who love experimental work but previously unaware of Tawayara, this edition is an ideal introduction to the absurdist stylings of the standout talent from the underground.
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3. Pop Life by Q-ta Minami (Star Fruit Books)
Digital-only manga publisher Star Fruit Books announced their debut license “Pop Life” in June. Volume 1 was then released last September, featuring translation by Dan Luffey and lettering by Meg Argyriou. The author, Q-ta Minami, class 1969, started her career when she won a competition for young cartoonists and made her professional debut in 1992. Since then, she has written stories for magazines aimed at both male and female audiences, often drawing inspiration from her own experience, describing childhood as well as the difficult entry into adulthood.
The style of Q-ta Minami’s artwork could be defined as soothing, not an adjective usually associated to manga drawings, but it certainly matches the definition of it: tranquilizing or calming, comforting. It is a relaxing reading, not only for the interesting slice-of-life plot but also for the bright and well-balanced visual. The characters are realistic in their proportions and sketched with thin lines, with lots of white and details. There is also a good deal of cooking and eating, but don’t expect a trendy food show-off. It’s just Sakura’s sheer joy in rediscovering the pleasure of good homemade simple food and the happiness in sharing. (Adriana Rosati)
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4. Chainsaw Man By Tatsuki Fujimoto (Viz Media)
Denji’s a poor young man who’ll do anything for money, even hunting down devils with his pet devil-dog Pochita. He’s a simple man with simple dreams, drowning under a mountain of debt. But his sad life gets turned upside down one day when he’s betrayed by someone he trusts. Now with the power of a devil inside him, Denji’s become a whole new man—Chainsaw Man!. (Viz)
“Chainsaw Man” has all the making of a break away hit, with adoration thrown towards the manga and an upcoming anime series. This is all for good reason as the absurd and stylish manga from Tatsuki Fujimoto is deliriously fun and entertaining. It is a good time to jump on this series early as the craze for “Chainsaw Man” is going to really kick off in 2021.
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5. Sky is Blue With a Single Cloud by Kuniko Tsurita (Drawn and Quarterly)
The Sky is Blue with a Single Cloud collects the best short stories from Kuniko Tsurita’s remarkable career. While the works of her male peers in literary manga are widely reprinted, this formally ambitious and poetic female voice is like none other currently available to an English readership. A master of the comics form, expert pacing and compositions combined with bold characters are signature qualities of Tsurita’s work. (Drawn and Quarterly)
Drawn and Quarterly has continued to keep the spirit of Gekiga manga well and alive by publishing works from such icons as Yoshihiro Tatsumi. However their collection of work from Kuniko Tsurita brought the work of the underexplored mangaka to the forefront this year, with one of the best collections of short stories to come out of the Japanese underground.
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