m&c! covers and previews will go up (especially for those angsticipating Innocent Dragon 6) on or after 20 July. For now, you'll have to settle for whatever the internets digs up for me. »Done
Shiawase Kissa 3-chome © Matsuzuki Kou/Hakusensha (First serialized in Hana to Yume)
Published in Indonesia as Happy Café by PT Gramedia/m&c!
So, who gets to marry Uru-chan — Shindou-san or Ichirou-kun?
Please forgive the misleading rhetorical opener; I couldn't resist it after eyeballing the final Happy Café cover. Because even if Uru is NOT the bride and just a bridesmaid, it still looks like the And Happiness for All reverse harem comedy will exit as it barged in: in an Ichirou × Uru × Shindou OT3.
(Serious) Flippancy aside, volume 15 of Matsuzuki Kou's Shiawase Kissa 3-chome sees several storms brewing in the Café Bonheur tea cup: Hagiwara suddenly confesses his feelings for Uru, and just as Uru gives her answer, she gets into an accident. In the aftermath, Uru remembers forgotten painful memories. Meanwhile, Shindou-san, preparing to leave for studies abroad, realizes what has happened to him. Grabbing Ichirou-kun as confidant, he relates a story equally gut-wrenching.
NEW TITLES: Hwang MiRee and Han YuRang soonjung manhwa
Curtains for Happy Café in just over a month after the penult didn't come as a shock so much as a welcome surprise. The jolt actually came with m&c!'s pricing for its soonjung manhwa newbies: an eyebrow-raising IDR 18,500 per volume. The extranormal price tag covers all four ex-Kkonnim series: Idol Shopping and Ugly Duckling Become Swan, both by Hwang MiRee, and Female Wolf's Boy and Sandwich Girl from manhwa-ga Han YuRang. (If it makes you feel better, the price converts to approximately USD 2.05, a figure that might mitigate the shock. Somewhat.)
Idol Shopping 1 of 12 by Hwang MiRee
Idol Shopping by the prolific creator who brings us New Sexy Simpleton and Legend of Nereid superficially resembles Hana-Kimi in that the heroine, Kang Song Yie, ends up rooming with a guy (a famous singer), after she assumes her twin brother's identity at an exclusive boys' school. Her justification for the bifauxnen pretext: to uncover what drove her twin to attempted suicide, the reason for which could be the school's comely badass.
Ugly Duckling Become Swan 1 of 13 by Hwang MiRee
Meanwhile, the premise of Ugly Duckling Become Swan (Miunohri to Swan) is just as it sounds: Go Mio, an unloved and unlovely girl transforms into a beauty after being magicked. The only catch is that she can't ever kiss a boy, or get wet in the rain, lest she revert to her hideous self.
[Summaries adapted from Baka-Updates' series descriptions: here and here]
nik's initial thoughts
So both these jjang-troped manhwa revolve around bullying, although Idol Shopping has that revenge thing going for it, and Ugly Duckling Become Swan throws in the supernatural, as is faerie talesque apropos.
Blurbing continues after the manga list.
m&c! manga, manhua and manhwa (2010.07.21)
Release links are hide/unhide. Click for more details and cover scans.
- [Premiere] Female Wolf's Boy 1 of 17 by Han YuRang
- Happy Café (Shiawase Kissa 3-chome) 15 of 15 by Matsuzuki Kou [Finale]
- [Premiere] Idol Shopping 1 of 12 by Hwang MiRee
- Innocent Dragon (Tenkuu Seiryuu) 6 of 7+ by Yamaguchi Miyuki
- Long Hu Men (Oriental Heroes) 169: Kecantikan yang Mematikan by Tony Wong
- [Premiere] Sandwich Girl 1 of 8 by Han YuRang
- [Premiere] Ugly Duckling Become Swan (Miunohri to Swan) 1 of 13 by Hwang MiRee
 | Shiawase Kissa 3-chome 「 幸福喫茶３丁目 」 |
OTHER LANGUAGE VERSIONS
Happy Café is published in English by TOKYOPOP (volume 3 released 2010.06.29 • volume 4 street date: 2010.08.31). A traditional Chinese version is released by Sharp Point Press (Taiwan).
ADAPTATIONS
Geneon Entertainment released two 幸福喫茶３丁目 drama CDs in 2007: the first shipped 25 January; the second on 24 October. Seiyuu Kanda Akemi, Toriumi Kousuke, and Sugiyama Noriaki voiced protagonists Takamura Uru, Shindou Satsuki, and Nishikawa Ichirou.
 | Idol Shopping 「 아이돌 쇼핑 」 |
 | Tenkuu Seiryuu by Yamaguchi Miyuki |
 | Sandwich Girl 「 샌드위치 걸 」 by Han YuRang |
 | Miunohri to Swan 「 미운오리 백조되기 」 |
m&c! AMERO comics (2010.07.21)
- [New] Actions Speak by Sergio Aragonés
- Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures 7 of 10 (Lucasfilm Ltd., Dark Horse Comics)
 | Actions Speak by Sergio Aragonés |
 | Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures 7 |
Contains Creature Comforts,
Spy Girls,
Impregnable
and This Precious Shining
¹ Source: m&c! (release schedule and artwork)
² All manga are priced at IDR 16,500, while the new manhwa retail for IDR 18,500/volume. Prices of Long Hu Men (#168) and Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures (#7) remain at IDR 60,000 and IDR 45,000 respectively. Actions Speak carries a IDR 25,000 price tag.
³ Links like this are Amazon search and/or product links (commercial), in case you're interested in another language version.
New Titles continued...
[Female Wolf's Boy and Sandwich Girl information from Baka Updates Manga: here and here]
Female Wolf's Boy 1 of 17 by Han YuRang
Edit: Gomen! Eun Soo is a GUY (should've twigged from the title alone *sweatdrop*) Anyway, changed the pronoun gender, yada, yada, yada...
The manhwafication of the Korean Internet novel, 암컷늑대의 BOY by i쿠키i조아 (iCookieiLike), Female Wolf's Boy stars the ferocious Cha Eun Soo who loathes the mother who abandoned him as a child, but has to live with her (the mother) after the grandmother who succored and gave him a home passes away. Tossed into a new school that's a veritable den of juvies, Eun Soo struggles to keep a promise made on grandma's death bed: that of never getting into a fight again. Eun Soo's resolve is tested when he slams into one of the school's most formidable fighters.
m&c!'s additions
Eun Soo is supposed to be a narcissist extraordinaire and whoever tries to mar his pretty face gets his or her butt kicked. On transferring to Cheong Won High in Seoul, he gets dragged into a love triangle(?) with the dangerous Ho Won and pretty boy Gang Jae Hee.
Sandwich Girl 1 of 8 by Han YuRang
The title Sandwich Girl
reminds me of another soonjung manhwa—Na YeRi's Peter Panda—but Han YuRang's heroine, Lee Jae Kyeong, is probably the farthest from Rui and her comfort food egg sandwiches. I dunno where Sandwich Girl's sandwiches come in, but Jae Kyeong's headaches don't stem from having to live with a fairy god-biseinen and a passel of angsty bishounen (albeit the bishounen aggravation is similar). With Jae Kyeong having to contend with two guys: her crush Yu Minwoo and the player irritant Sejoon Kang, Sandwich Girl's plot is nigh interchangeable with Lee SunHee's Neck and Neck or Oda Aya's Lovey Dovey.
m&c!'s additions
Apparently, Jae Kyeong is already engaged, but she still eyes another guy (probably Yu Minwoo) at her new school. To get him to notice her, the tomboy tries to effect a transformation into a lady.
Actions Speak by Sergio Aragonés
Mad Magazine veteran Sergio Aragonés received the prestigious National Cartoonist Society's Reuben Award in 1996 in the Outstanding Cartoonist category. He has also been awarded the Special Award for Humor six times by the Harvey Awards, not to mention grabbing multiple Eisners. Actions Speak compiles some of his most loved LOLarious comic strips in 160 pages.
(m&c! is expected to release the follow up Louder Than Words on 28 July 2010.)
Continuing series
Innocent Dragon 6 of 7+ by Yamaguchi Miyuki
Danger stalks Kanan and her savior...
Before returning to Lamka, Kanan takes a dip to calm herself. Miku, under Sanin's control, takes the opportunity to steal Kanan's bell. At the same time, Sanin's hired assassins sneak up on Lamka.
Iamque opus exegi (pro tem),
~niki DBA huamulan03 (花木蘭03)
UP NEXT: 28 July 2010 manga
m&c!: Ah Dear Banchou 5 · Because I Love You 1 of 2 by Akira Shouko · Bleach 30 · Dragon Girl 5 of 5 · Shanaou Yoshitsune Genpei War 4 · Tell Me One Million Times 1 of 2 by Oobayashi Miyuki · You Can't Disappear from Me 1 of 4 by Aikawa Saki | Manhua: The Impeccable Twins Final Chapters 10 · The Story of Wang Fenglei 4 | AMERO: Quick & Flupke series: Maaf Bu!, Hidup Teknologi, Malapetaka, Kena Batunya, Tukang Kibul and Kencangkan Sabuk Pengaman | Mangazine: Cherry 45/2010 | KOLONI local comics: Satu Atap 2 · Merdeka: Di Bukit Selarong
Elex Media: BECK 20 · Dear Boys Act 3 vol. 3 · Fullmetal Alchemist 23 · Hayate The Combat Butler 22 · Kariage-kun 31 · A Kiss For My Prince 5 of 5 · Legend of Nereid 9 · Legend of The Cursed Sword 31 · Ruler of the Land 48 · Tena on S String 2 · Vitamin Cat 2 · Wild Life 7 | Mangazine: HanaLaLa 52, Shonen Star 69/2010
Level Comics: Angel Heart 4 · Bambino! 5 · Glass Chair 5 · New Comic Bomber 3 · Restore Garage 251 vol. 8 · Soul Eater 1 by Ohkubo Atsushi
disclaimer
Cover images and source summaries used here for reference are © their respective intellectual rights holders. No infringement intended.
other next available manga (21 July 2010 street date)
- Elex Media: Q.E.D. 34 · Juvenile Remix 4 · New Sexy Simpleton 5 · Hell Girl 5 · Sanzoku Ou: King of Bandits 2 · Kurozakuro 4 · Real 9 · Katsu! 6 · Geobreeders 13 · Coz We're not Children 1 by Seta Haruhi · Crows 10 · Shonen Magz 74/2010
- Level Comics: xxxHOLiC 9 · Genius Family Company 3 · Gokusen 14 of 15 · Revolution No.3 vol. 3 of 3 · Fight!! Ippo 77 · Priest 7
other invaluable resources
7net Shopping · Baka-Updates Manga · YES24 · Wikipedia
Technorati tags
m&c! · manga · shoujo · Happy Café (Shiawase Kissa 3-chome) · Innocent Dragon (Tenkuu Seiryuu) | manhwa · soonjung: Female Wolf's Boy · Idol Shopping · Sandwich Girl · Ugly Duckling Become Swan | manhua: Long Hu Men | AMERO: Actions Speak · Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures
The Female Wolf BOY
「 암컷늑대의 보이 (암컷늑대의 Boy) 」
by Han YuRang
Kkonnim, soonjung
Volume 1 first published in Korea 2007.09
RELATED
Based on the Korean Internet novel, 암컷늑대의 BOY by i쿠키i조아 (iCookieiLike)