NikBabble©: If you ask me why Perfect Girl Evolution's Takenaga doesn't lead this post, it's because I couldn't find a big enuf Level cover. In any case, Cruise 2 IS the finale —
Cruise © Yajima Masao & Kikuta Hiroyuki/Shogakukan [Serialized in Big Comic]
Published in Indonesia by Elex Media/Level Comics
—though you wouldn't know it from the back cover blurb:
The luxury liner Phoenix continues its voyage around Japan, and medical fast lane “dropouts” Dr. Yamada Kohei and nurse Shinbashi Megumi get to know all manner of passengers, each with his or her poignant story: a band consisting of four sexagenarian musicians; a woman who met her soul mate before marriage [And presumably didn't marry him —Nik]; and a model who feigns cheerfulness on the outside but hides pain within.
Now for the top GET!
Perfect Girl Evolution 23 of 28+ by Hayakawa Tomoko
The “uncle” who approached Sunako at the Halloween party is apparently a Real Deal Vampire, which thrills our Dark Princess to no end. Vampire-sama, mistaking Sunako for his Elizabeth,
insists on spiriting her away, an abduction Kyouhei and the other fair bishounen (and Auntie) are not about to let happen. But as Kyouhei attempts to stop the vampire, he loses his strength and ends up in the undead's clutches.
What will happen to Kyouhei and The Future Mother of His Children Sunako now?
The above alludes to chapter 92, The Path to Becoming a Dark Lady (Part II),
which closes the Vampire×Sunako mini-arc. New Perfect Girl Evolution stories begin with chapter 93, Welcome F*ckin' Xmas Night
(censorship mine), A Seasoned Pro's Paradise
(94) and Sleepless Tonight
(95). [*NOT Level's chapter titles]
☆ Moar previews after the manga and ROMICs/BDs lists, the latter including the rude awakening of Sleeping Beauty, I mean, Lazy Smurf — Smurf - Mimpi Aneh Smurf Pemalas (AKA The Strange Awakening of Lazy Smurf) and the former, the second tankou of Dolls of God, which gets the anime treatment this July with seiyuu Okamoto Nobuhiko (Usui!) as Kuga Kyōhei.
Level Comics manga (2011.04.06)
- A Spirit of The Sun (Taiyou no Mokushiroku) 9 of 17 by Kawaguchi Kaiji
- Air Gear 21 of 31+ by Oh! great
- Angel Heart 6 of 33 by Hojo Tsukasa
- Black Lagoon 7 of 9+ by Hiroe Rei
- Cruise 2 of 2 by Yajima Masao & Kikuta Hiroyuki [Finale]
- Dolls of God (Kamisama Dolls) 2 of 8+ by Yamamura Hajime
- Jepang Tenggelam (Nihon Chinbotsu) 12 of 15 by Komatsu Sakyou & Ishiki Tokihiko
- Over Rev 18 of 31 by Yamaguchi Katsumi & Team 39
- Perfect Girl Evolution (Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge) 23 of 28+ by Hayakawa Tomoko
- Sky of Love (Koizora) 4 of 10 by Haneda Ibuki, Mika
AirGear 「エア・ギア」 by Oh! great |
Awards
Best Shounen Manga, 2006 Kodansha Manga Awards
Other languages/serializations
English Air Gear (Del Rey: until Volume 15/16/17 released 2010.08 • Kodansha Comics' volume 18 street date: 2011.06.14), Korean (Haksan), traditional Chinese (Tong Li Taiwan), simplified Chinese (Chuang Yi Singapore: volume 28 per 2010.08), French (Pika Édition tome 26 shipped 2011.03 • tome 27 street date: 2011.05.04), Italy (Planet Manga), Germany (Heyne) and Sweden (Schibsted Förlagen Sverige AB/serialized in Manga Mania)
Adaptations
A 25-episode anime by Toei Animation, starring Kamakari Kenta as Ikki; a series of Satelight-animated OADs shipped with the manga tankoubon (The first Air Gear: Kuro no Hane to Nemuri no Mori -Break on the Sky- OAD streeted with volume 30 in November 2010 with seiyuu Okamoto Nobuhiko as Ikki; the second OAD was bundled with volume 31 (2011.03.17), with a third scheduled for 2011.06.17); and a series of musicals
Angel Heart 「エンジェル・ハート」 |
Related series
City Hunter (Adapted from; 35 of 35 volumes), Angel Heart 2nd Season (sequel; one volume per 2011.03.19)
Other languages
French (Génération Comics and Panini Comics)
Adaptations
Adapted into anime by TMS, starring seiyuu Kamiya Akira as Saeba Ryo and Kawasaki Mao as Shan-In Glass Heart
Lee. Fifty episodes adapting manga volumes 1 to 18 aired in Japan from October 2005 to September 2006.
Black Lagoon 「 BLACK LAGOON 」 |
Other languages
English Black Lagoon (VIZ Media: nine volumes per 2010.07) and Chuang Yi: nine volumes as at 2010.10), French (Kazé Manga: tome 9 shipped 2010.10), Spanish (Norma Editorial Spain), German (Carlsen Comics: Band 9 per 2010.07), Polish (Waneko).
Adaptations
The 12-episode Madhouse anime adaptation, starring seiyuu Toyoguchi Megumi (Revy) and Namikawa Daisuke (Rock), aired in Japan from April to June 2006. The Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage second season (episodes 13 to 24) was telecast from October through December of the same year. An OAV sequel, Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail, premiered 17 July 2010, with the fifth Roberta's Blood Trail Blu-ray Disc/DVD scheduled for 2011.06.22 release.
Related
Black Lagoon: Shaitane Badi light novel written by Urobuchi Gen and illustrated by Hiroe Rei (Black Lagoon side story; Shogakukan Gagaga Bunko, 2008.07.18)
Cruise: Ishi Yamada Kouhei Koukai Shi |
Kamisama Dolls 「神様ドォルズ」 |
Other languages
Traditional Chinese (Ching Win Publishing Taiwan: latest 神樣DOLLS 6)
Adaptations
A Kamisama Dolls anime has been confirmed for a July 2011 premiere. The TV series animated by Brains Base casts seiyuu Okamoto Nobuhiko as Kuga Kyōhei, Fukuen Misato as Kuga Utao and Kayano Ai as Shiba Hibino.
Nihon Chinbotsu 「日本沈没」 |
Related
Based on the award-winning disaster novel by Komatsu Sakyou, also adapted into film and live-action TV.
Over Rev! 「オーバーレブ!」 |
Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge |
Other languages
English The Wallflower (Del Rey: volumes 22/23/24 per 2010.10; Kodansha Comics by volume 25 [2011.06.21 street date] and Chuang Yi (as My Fair Lady; volume 26 per 2011.02), French (Pika Édition: Yamato Nadeshiko tome 14 ships 2011.04.20), German (EMA/Egmont Manga & Anime from volume 21 onwards)
Adaptations
Anime by Nippon Animation featuring seiyuu Takaguchi Yukiko (Nakahara Sunako), Morikubo Showtaro (Takano Kyohei), Yamauchi Yuuya (Toyama Yukinojo), Sugita Tomokazu (Oda Takenaga) and Nojima Hirofumi (Mori Ranmaru) aired from October 2006 to March 2007 on Japan's TV Aichi. A live-action renzoku starring Kamenashi Kazuya (Kyohei), Oomasa Aya (Sunako), Tegoshi Yuya (Yukinojo), Uchi Hiroki (Takenaga) and Miyao Shuntaro (Ranmaru) was telecast on TBS from January to March 2010.
Koizora: Setsunai Koi Monogatari |
Related
Based on the best-selling coming of age/romance novel written by Mika (two volumes published by Starts Publications), originally posted on the cell phone website "Mahou no iLand."
Adaptations
Loosely adapted into a movie (2007.11.03 premiere), starring Aragaki Yui as Mika and Miura Haruma as Hiro, and a six-episode live-action series on TBS from August to September 2008 with Mizusawa Erena as Mika and Seto Koji as Hiro.
[Release links are hide/unhide. Click for more details.]
European comics/BDs
- Lucky Luke - Nitroglicerin (Lucky Luke, Tome 25: Nitroglycérine) by Morris, Lo Hartog Van Banda
- Smurf - Mimpi Aneh Smurf Pemalas (5 Histoires de Schtroumpfs: L'Étrange réveil du schtroumpf paresseux, tome 15) by Peyo
- Yakari dan Si Paus Putih (Yakari, Tome 21: Le souffleur de nuages) by Derib, Job
Taiyou no Mokushiroku 「太陽の黙示録」
by Kawaguchi Kaiji
Shogakukan Big Comic, seinen
Volume 9 (chapters 59-65) first published in Japan 2005.08
Awards
Best Seinen/General Manga, 51st Shogakukan Manga Awards
Grand Prize winner for the comic category, 10th Japan Media Arts Festival
Other languages
French (Tonkam Spirit of The Sun, tome 17: per 2009.12)
Adaptations
Adapted into an anime special by Madhouse (two episodes)