Soul Eater © Ohkubo Atsushi/Square Enix (Serialized in Shonen Gangan)
Published in Indonesia by Level Comics (Elex Media)
May contain [SPOILERS!]
Meet weapon meister Maka, a student of the DWMA or Death Weapon Meister Academy founded by Death himself—Shinigami-sama—to school fighters and their living weaponry. Maka has one ambition: to turn Soul Eater, her human weapon, into the strongest Death Scythe around. For this to happen, though, our combat combi first has to amass 99 impure human souls (and that of one Wicked Witch).
The problem: Before they can vanquish the prerequisite number of evil doers and Soul Eater becomes the baddest of badass Scythes evar!, Maka and Just call him Soul
must first learn to get along as a team. (TV Tropes points out: She's a raging workaholic, he's a slacker
— as antithetical in personalities as you can get and the perfect formula for inertia-manufactured trouble if I've seen one.)
So Level finally rolls out half of its July Premieres—Soul Eater 1—this 28th. While you might've already met our “Golden Pair” in the BONES anime (if the number of DO WANT! at the EMO forum is any indication), I haven't. So, following Level's advice to cekidot (check it out).
Aside from Maka and Soul, the first tankou also introduces us to (equally quirky) schoolmate meisters/weapons, Black☆Star and Tsubaki and Death the Kid and his twin demon guns, sisters Liz and Patty Thompson.
Bambino! 5 of 15 by Sekiya Tetsuji
Meanwhile, you might be forgiven for thinking that something's wrong with Future Chef Ban in the latest Bambino!, Sekiya Tetsuji's OMB! The food! cooking manga. That Ban continues to harvest critiques and break crockery—even after working the Hall for two weeks—is probably not (that) surprising. What raises teh eyebrows is Ban rejecting Miyuki's suggestion to revert to kitchen duty, insisting instead on staying on the floor.
Ban doesn't want to return to the kitchen? Ban ga? What can he be thinking?
About Angel Heart and R.I.P. Weekly Comic Bunch
I don't have a blurb for Angel Heart, returning to circulation next Wednesday, but I do have news that should set Glass Heart fans at ease. Manga-ka Hojo Tsukasa promises that the crime manga will continue even after Comic Bunch—the magazine that serializes it—folds. (Last issue: 27 August 2010.) ICv2 reports via the French news site Actua Litte that Hojo-sensei reassured attendees of the recent 11th Annual Impact of Japan Expo in Paris that the Comic Bunch closure doesn't spell the end for Angel Heart, adding that fans can even look forward to a different form.
The manga-ka, however, stopped short of revealing the differences he plans for post-Bunch Angel Heart.
Unfortunately, I don't know what lies ahead for Restore Garage 251 (another ongoing Bunch serial), volume 8 of which ships with Angel Heart 4. The volume 8 preview, however, as well synopses for the latest Glass Chair and New Comic Bomber are after the manga list.)
Level Comics manga (2010.07.28)
Release links are hide/unhide. Click for more details and cover scans.
- Angel Heart 4 of 32+ by Hojo Tsukasa
- Bambino! 5 of 15 by Sekiya Tetsuji
- 43 アッヴォルジェレ（包む）
- 44 コンプレアンノ（誕生日）1
- 45 コンプレアンノ 2
- 46 コンプレアンノ 3
- 47 コンプレアンノ 4
- 48 給料日（ジョルノディバーガ）
- 49 トラッターレ（交渉する）
- 50 ピッカンテ（辛い）
- 51 シェッリエレ（選ぶ）
- 52 アッパレッキアーレ（配置する）
- 53 ウニオーネ（団結）
- Glass Chair (Garasu no Isu) 5 of 8 by Nakamura Mariko
- New Comic Bomber (Shin Hoero Pen) 3 of 11 by Shimamoto Kazuhiko
- 9 命のテンション
- 10 新人のアシは来るけれど
- 11 わかれ！ヒーロー！自分の価値を!!
- 描き下ろし
- あとがきまんが
- 特別掲載その1
- 逆境ナイン・特別編
- 特別掲載その2
- 新吼えろペン・番外編
- Restore Garage 251 volume 8 of 32+ by Tsugihara Ryuji
- Soul Eater 1 of 17+ by Ohkubo Atsushi
 | Bambino! 「 バンビ～ノ！ 」 by Sekiya Tetsuji |
Volume 5 contains chapters:
AWARDS
Best seinen/general manga, 53rd Shogakukan Manga Awards (tied with Kuromaru- and Natsuhara Takeshi's The Black Swindler/Kurosagi)
RELATED SERIES
Bambino! Secondo (sequel; four volumes as at 2010.06.30)
ADAPTATIONS
An 11-episode live-action adaptation starring Matsumoto Jun as Shogo Ban and Kitamura Kazuki as Yonamine Tsukasa/Yona-san aired on NTV from April to June 2007. The TV series reaped four awards at the 53rd Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor (Matsumoto Jun), Supporting Actor (Kazuki Kitamura), Best Director, and a Special Award.
 | Garasu no Isu 「 ガラスの椅子 」 by Nakamura Mariko |
 | Shin Hoero Pen 「 新吼えろペン 」 |
Volume 3 contains chapters:
RELATED SERIES
Prequels: Burning Pen (Moeyo Pen, one volume) and Comic Bomber (Hoero Pen, 13 volumes)
| Restore Garage 251 |
 | Soul Eater 「 ソウルイーター 」 by Ohkubo Atsushi |
Volume 1 contains chaptersSoul Eater
• Black☆Star
• Death the Kid
• 001. Remedial Lesson (Part 1)
RELATED
First appeared as one-shots in two Gangan Powered special editions (Summer and Fall 2003) and Gangan Wing's 26 November 2003 issue. Regular Monthly Shonen Gangan serialization commenced May 2004.
OTHER LANGUAGE VERSIONS/SERIALIZATIONS
Soul Eater is published in North America by Yen Press (volume 3 released 2010.06.15 • volume 4 street date: 2009.10.27; serialized Yen Plus).
Other global releases: France (published by Kurokawa) · Germany (Carlsen Comics) · Taiwan (Sharp Point Press)
ADAPTATIONS
Manga volumes 1 to 12 adapted to anime by BONES. Fifty-one episodes starring seiyuu Omigawa Chiaki as Maka Alban and Uchiyama Kouki as Soul Eater aired in Japan from April 2008 to March 2009.
Square Enix bundled an audio drama, Soul Eater (Vol. 1): Special Social Studies Field Trip, with an artbook in August 2005. The drama CD featured different actors (Takeuchi Junko as Maka; Hoshi Souichirou as Soul Eater); only Kobayashi Yumiko reprised her Black☆Star role in the TV series.
¹ Sources: STO 28 July 2010 (release schedule) and Komikologi (synopses, except where indicated)
² All manga are priced at IDR 18,500 each, except Angel Heart 4 and Restore Garage 251 vol. 8 (SRP: IDR 19,500/volume).
³ Links like this are commercial Amazon search and/or product links for other language versions.
Volume previews continued
Glass Chair 5 of 8 by Nakamura Mariko
To protect Izuru, Aoi submits to all of Hayao's demands, struggling to understand him and perhaps, uncover his softer side. She presents Hayao with something she thinks he will find precious; the “gift,” however, is unwelcome, and a wounded Hayao lashes out.
Just what did Aoi give and how does Hayao retaliate? Find out in volume 5.
New Comic Bomber 3 of 11 by Shimamoto Kazuhiko
The sound and the fury and the fierce squabbling between director and author are over, or are they? At the GJ9 movie premiere, Hono-sensei continues to criticize the film adapt and disses each and every scene. What reprisal awaits the fault-finding manga-ka?
Restore Garage 251 vol. 8 of 32+ by Tsugihara Ryuji
Takamura Gen apologizes to Yumejiro for the rudeness of his son, celeb Takamura Shinya, but Yumejiro doesn't let the issue die there. He offers to “discipline” Shinya by putting the young artist to work restoring cars at Garage 251.
Under Yumejiro's tutelage, will Shinya change and become a nicer person?
Iamque opus exegi,
~niki DBA huamulan03 (花木蘭03)
Other 28 July 2010 manga
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
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
disclaimer
Cover images and source summaries used here for reference are © their respective intellectual rights holders. No infringement intended.
currently available (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
- m&c!: Happy Cafe 15 of 15 · Innocent Dragon 6 · Idol Shopping 1 by Hwang MiRee · Female Wolf's Boy 1 by Han YuRang · Sandwich Girl 1 by Han YuRang · Ugly Duckling Become Swan 1 by Hwang MiRee · Long Hu Men 169 | AMERO comics (Dark Horse): Actions Speak by Sergio Aragonés · Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures 7
related monthly schedules
July 2010
Premiering Soul Eater by Ohkubo Atsushi and Yokohama Chinatown Fantasy by Nishi Yuuji · Ending Diamond Life
other invaluable resources
7net Shopping · Amazon JP · Baka-Updates Manga · Wikipedia · ANN · TV Tropes
Technorati tags
Level Comics · manga · josei · seinen · shounen · Angel Heart · Bambino! · Glass Chair · New Comic Bomber · Restore Garage 251 · Soul Eater
Angel Heart 「 エンジェル・ハート 」
by Hojo Tsukasa
Shinchosha (Coamix) Comic Bunch, seinen
Volume 4 first published in Japan 2002.07
RELATED SERIES
City Hunter (35 of 35 volumes)
OTHER LANGUAGE VERSIONS
Published in French by Génération Comics and Panini Comics
ADAPTATIONS
Adapted into anime by TMS, starring seiyuu Kamiya Akira as Saeba Ryo and Kawasaki Mao as Shan-In Lee. Fifty episodes adapting manga volumes 1 to 18 aired in Japan from October 2005 to September 2006.