Bleach © Kubo Tite/Shueisha (Serialized in Shonen Jump)
Published in Indonesia by Gramedia/m&c!
Contains [SPOILERS!]
(Don't say I didn't warn you.)
m&c! continues its Bleach streak, releasing volume 23: Mala Suerte!
only a week after volume 22, to the thunderous approbation of Bleach fanboys/fangirls everywhere. (Or in Indonesia, at least.)
Synopsis: Mala Suerte!
(Bad Luck) picks up the Arrancar invasion of Karakura chou whence Conquistadores
left off, and 11th Division 3rd Seat Madarame Ikkaku's cover boy stint broadly hints at the introduction of the commissioned Shinigami into the fray. But before the Soul Reaper officer sees action, Chad first faces an assault from Arrancar Number 16 D-Roy Linker and is rescued by Ichigo. Rukia, using her restored Shinigami powers, defeats the Arrancar, but loses to Sexta Espada Grimmjow Jeagerjaques (or Jaegerjaquez), the sixth-strongest of all Arrancar.
Arrancar 13 Edorad Leones also attacks one of Ichigo's friends, who is subsequently saved by Ikkaku and fellow squad member Ayasegawa Yumichika. Ikkaku at first is overpowered by the Arrancar and his zanpakutou, forcing the 11th Division's second strongest to... (You can read the rest of this adapted from Wikipedia synopsis here.)
NEW TITLES: Another Kingdom, Meet the Banchou, and Sinful Love
m&c! premieres two new manga series—Another Kingdom by Fujita Maki and Meet the Banchou (Kongoh Bancho) by Suzuki Nakaba—and one standalone anthology, Sinful Love (Tsumi Koi), by Yoshinaga Yuu.
Another Kingdom by Fujita Maki
DO WANT!
Fujita Maki's Another Kingdom is a short (only two volumes) supernatural series that's not quite Platinum Garden (despite the paranormal bouquet) and definitely nowhere near Fujita-sensei's Song of Love/Eden no Trill in terms of plot bunnies. Baka-Updates Manga citizens actually recommend thinking along the lines of Death Note for comparison, the demons/ghosts
reasons for which are apparent in the adapted series description below:
The singular ability to see ghosts and demons since she was a child has effectively marginalized school girl Hatsuse Nanao, making her the helpless target of alienating gossip. Rumors about her powers even follow her all the way to high school. Unwilling to feed the speculation more fuel, Nanao ditches classes, only to encounter a mysterious little boy who not only knows her name but also insists on latching on to her for a day. While trying to find out more about her new companion, Nanao runs into classmate Yatou Kaname, who deigns to house the pair for one night.
Who is the odd little boy? And why does Yatou shun even the thought of specters and spirits? Nanao will have to delve into her own past and that of Yatou's to uncover the answers. [Adapted from Baka-Updates Manga's Another Kingdom synopsis]
I don't know about you, but rather than Death Note, I'm getting Rasetsu's Flower and From the Other World (Shi to Kanojo to Boku) vibes here.
The Meet the Banchou and Sinful Love synopses be after the m&c! release lists.
Bestseller reissues: Shanaou Yoshitsune volumes 13-17
The third round of the Shanaou Yoshitsune box sets gives us volumes 13 through 17, and with only a quintet reissued, the suggested retail price drops to IDR 74,000. Now, don't scoff at that IDR 200 reduction from the standard IDR 15,000/volume; I hear Sawada Hirofumi-sensei's award-winning samurai adventure (whose sequel Shanaou Yoshitsune Genpei War premiered 4.28) is worth whatever you pay for it.
m&c! manga (2010.05.05)
Release links are hide/unhide. Click for more details and cover scans.
- [Premiere] Another Kingdom 1 of 2 by Fujita Maki
- Battle Brawlers Bakugan 4: Chameleon Army by Sega Toys / Spin Master / Bakugan Project TV Tokyo Dentsu
- Bleach 23 of 44+ by Kubo Tite
- [Premiere] Meet the Banchou (Kongoh Bancho) 1 of 10 by Suzuki Nakaba
- [New] Sinful Love (Tsumi Koi) by Yoshinaga Yuu
- 罪恋 (Sinful Love)
- 恋に落ちるまで (Until I Fall in Love)
- 夢で逢いましょう (Let's Meet in Dream!)
- 金魚の涙 (Tears of Goldfish)
- 恋のじゅもん (Love Spell)
- 罪恋番外編 (Sinful Love Extra Story)
 | Bleach 「 ＢＬＥＡＣＨ－ブリーチ－ 」 by Kubo Tite |
Volume 23: Mala Suerte! contains:
198. The Icecold Discord
199. Ugly
200. Night of Sledgehammer
201. Wind & Snowbound
202. ¡Mala Suerte!
203. ¡Mala Suerte! 2 (El Monstruo)
204. ¡Mala Suerte! 3 (Monstruo Sangrienta)
205. ¡Mala Suerte! 4 (Tempestad de La Lucha)
0. Side-A The Sand
0. Side-B The Rotator
AWARDS: Best shounen manga in the 50th Shogakukan Manga Awards
An anime adaptation by Studio Pierrot began airing in October 2004 and continues to this day (Season 15, the return to the Hueco Mundo arc, opened with episode 266 on 2010.04.13). Seiyuu Morita Masakazu and Orikasa Fumiko star as leads Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia. Namikawa Daisuke plays Arrancar Ulquiorra Schiffer. At least two OAVs and three theatrical movies—Bleach the Movie: Memories of Nobody, Bleach the Movie: The DiamondDust Rebellion, Another Hyōrinmaru, and Bleach the Movie: Fade to Black, I Call Your Name—have been released.
 | Kongoh Bancho 「 金剛番長 」 by Suzuki Nakaba |
Volume 1 contains chapters*:
1 金剛晄現る!! (Kongo Akira(?) Appears!)
2 金剛番長 (Kongo Boss)
3 23区計画 (23 district project)
4 鮮血の花びら (Petals of blood)
5 金剛番長vs居合番長 (Boss vs Boss)
6 激闘の幕開け (Beginning of the fierce fighting)
*Tentative chapter translations only (c/o Google)
 | Sinful Love 「 罪恋 」 by Yoshinaga Yuu |
Contains stories*:
m&c! AMERO comics (2010.05.05)
- Petualangan Pingu 6 by HIT Entertainment
NOTE
(1) Source: m&c! (release schedule, artwork)
(2) All listed manga are priced at IDR 15,000 each, except the full-color Battle Brawlers Bakugan 4 (SRP: IDR 25,000) and Petualangan Pingu 6 (IDR 39,900)
(3) Links like this are Amazon.com (or other online merchants) search and/or product links (commercial), in case you're interested in another language version.
Blurble (blurb and babble) continued...
Meet the Banchou 1
Kongoh Bancho 「 金剛番長 」 by Suzuki Nakaba
Meet the Banchou, which also goes by the alias Diamond Delinquent, is another Shonen Sunday serial from Suzuki Nakaba-sensei who also created Blizzard Axel. (Though going solely by the series' covers, it would take a leap to conclude they're both the brainchildren of one manga-ka).
Kongoh Bancho © Suzuki Nakaba/
Shogakukan (Shonen Sunday)
But then the harder-edged, sharply-angular art (and how!) of Kongoh Bancho simply stays true to its badass gang leader theme. TV Tropes' Kongoh Bancho entry offers this description of series protagonist Kongoh Akira that's pure LMAO: a ten-to-twelve-foot-tall mountain of muscle with incredibly spiky Anime Hair, mile-wide shoulders, and a stare that could cut bread.
(You can confirm the snark with the cover on the left.)
TV Tropes' blurb for this series is also the most wonderful around, so I'm also borrowing it for here:
After a series of misadventures involving a young girl named Hinako Sakura, who has a compulsion to take pictures of things that are “sooooo unusual” with her cell phone's camera, and her younger sister Tsukimi, in which he demonstrates his incredible strength and resilience (as well as his capacity for kindness and understanding), Kongoh reveals his reasons for his sudden appearance: He has come to stop something called “The 23 District Project”. This involves people called “Bancho”, people who have exceptional fighting skills as well as great amounts of charisma ... fighting for control of the 23 districts of Japan. (The word “bancho” itself is usually used to refer to the leader of a delinquent gang, and all Bancho wear Japanese school uniform jackets, in one form or another.) Whosoever conquers them all will be given control of Japan and will be able to mold its future to their liking.
He later ends up defeating one of the Bancho - Iai Bancho, a master of iaijutsu. He is then told that defeating a bancho means you gain their territory and are now part of the 23 District Project, whether you want to be or not, and is given his new title by his defeated opponent: Kongoh Bancho.
Sinful Love
Tsumi Koi 「 罪恋 」 by Yoshinaga Yuu
There are six stories in the Tsumi Koi anthology that—if I can believe Google's translation—represents Yoshinaga Yuu-sensei's Flower Comics debut. The last is an epilogue to the titular Sinful Love,
which (according to Baka-Updates Manga) is the story of school girl Yashiro who becomes increasingly infatuated with popular classmate Maki (whom she saw with a girl not his girlfriend). To liven up her boring life, she decides to become his “lover.” Yup, that's her “love crime.”
The other stories are: Until I Fall in Love, Let's Meet in Dream!, Tears of Goldfish, and Love Spell.
~niki DBA huamulan03 (花木蘭03)
UP NEXT: 12 May 2010 manga
- Elex Media: Burning Pen by Shimamoto Kazuhiko · Cross Game 16 · Eyeshield 21 V37 of 37 · Fantastic Tales 2 · The Fifth Columnist 2 of 2 · K-ON! 1 by Kakifly · Kuro Memanggul Peti Mati 1 by Kiyuduki Satoko · Pangeran Kacamata 3 · School Rumble 10 · Shugo Chara! 9 Tokkyu! 11 · V.B. Rose 1 by Hidaka Banri · Vitamin Cat 1 by Sugiyama Ryoko · Wazabo 3 · Nakayoshi 80/2010
- Level Comics: Diamond Life 2 · Go Go Hanasaki Detective Office 2 · Nanase Fire Investigator 3 · Ole! 4 · Officer Monju 5 · Priest 5 · The Ravages of Time 2 · Tomo'o 8 · Under The Rose 4 · Spirou: Air Keabadian · Spirou: Penyihir di Champignac
- m&c!: Beauty Pop 6 · Bleach 24 · Blizzard Axel 9 · Goong [Palace Story] 20 · Innocent Revenge by Hazuki Rei · Nekomachi Shop Guide 1 by Sakamoto Miku · Princess Bouquet 1 by Aomata Pink · Shanimuni GO 29 · Shanaou Yoshitsune volumes 18-22 box set
disclaimer
Cover images and source summaries used here for reference are © their respective intellectual rights holders. No infringement intended.
manga available this week (5 May 2010 street date)
- Elex Media: Artist Acro 1 by Sakurai Ato · Caramel Boy 1 by Morio Masami · Crows 7 · Demon King 30 · Hyde & Closer 2 · Katsu! 3 · Kekkaishi 3 · Kumpulan Cerita Berwarna Doraemon 2 · LUM, The Invader Girl 22 · Otoboke Section Chief 1 by Ueda Masashi · Pandora Hearts 9 · Raiders 4 · The Real Fake Princess 3 · Spiral: The Bonds of Reason 2 · Treasure Gaust 6 · Wild Life 4
- Level Comics: Akihabara@DEEP 4 · Gun Smith Cats 4 · Jormungand 1 by Takahashi Keitarou · Rumiko Takahashi's Best Short Story Collection 2 · Second Engage by Aikawa Momoko · A Spirit of the Sun 4 · Subaru 5 · Tokyo Juliet 13 of 13 · Astrosmurf
other invaluable resources
7net Shopping · Amazon Japan · Baka-Updates Manga · Wikipedia
Technorati tags
manga · AMERO · m&c! · shoujo · shounen · Another Kingdom · Battle Brawlers Bakugan · Bleach · Meet the Banchou · Pingu · Shanaou Yoshitsune · Sinful Love
Another Kingdom 「 アナザー・キングダム 」
by Fujita Maki
Akita Shoten Mystery Bonita, shoujo
Volume 1 first published in Japan 2006.06
Volume 1 contains chapters*:
1.
2.
3.
4.
*Chapter titles c/o Aerandria & Enchantment Scans' scanlation