The Drops of God 9, Love Affair 11 and The Black Swindler 15 (Level Comics 9 November 2011 manga) [UPDATED]

As I mentioned over on the Elex side, it's slim pickins for synops and covers, so MinimaList—and ROMICs for lead—for nau. «Edit: Sorry, Leonard and Marsupilami fans, but I went and replaced the lead pix.

The Drops of God 9 and Love Affair 11 (Level Comics)

Kami no Shizuku: Les Gouttes de Dieu © Agi Tadashi & Okimoto Shu/Kodansha [Serialized in Morning] · Bokutachi wa Shitte Shimatta © Miyasaka Kaho/Shogakukan [Serialized in Cheese!]. Published in Indonesia as The Drops of God and Love Affair by Elex Media/Level Comics

In The Drops of God 9, we interrupt the regularly-scheduled Apostles treasure hunt for a new mission —

Shizuku wants to make Kido, the wine division newbie, like wines and he's willing to go all the way to his father's vacation house for clues to a certain special vintage. Does Shizuku find it? More to the point, what secrets does Shizuku unearth in the memory-filled house?

(You can bet that whatever Shizuku discovers, it will still have bearing on the Third Apostle.)

Kami no Shizuku: Les Gouttes de Dieu will have compiled 31 volumes in Japan by 17 November. We have quite a way to go.

Meanwhile, memory plays some tricks in Love Affair 11:

Yukito and Kotori's relationship improves after both come clean about their feelings. Yukito even gets to stay with Kotori after her older sib leaves him alone to look after the sick Kotori. How good are Yukito's nursing skills? More importantly, can he keep up the platonic bedside manner when there's no one else in the house?

Kotori doesn't help matters any when she calls out for Kenken...

The 13th Bokutachi wa Shitte Shimatta tankou streets 26 December in Japan.

More previews of ongoings after the release list. Up here, the Ranko The Governor premiere.

Ranko The Governor 1 (Level Comics)

Chiji Ranko
© Takahashi Noboru
Shogakukan [Big Comics]
Published in Indonesia as
Ranko The Governor
by Level Comics

Beautiful young widow Akatsuki Ranko is elected governor of the (fictitious) Waga prefecture. Gossip has it she won on a sympathy vote after her politician husband's death. Little wonder that many look down her, including one shady businessman colluding with an equally shady politico to embezzle public funds. But is Madam Governor as callow as people think?

Ranko The Governor volume 1 compiles chapters 1–7 and 8. Four Chiji Ranko volumes have been published in Japan as of November 2005.

Other Takahashi Noboru manga
More current than Chiji Ranko is Mogura no Uta, the ongoing Big Comic Spirits seinen action drama that will have logged 29 volumes in Japan by 27 December. Takahashi Noboru-sensei also created Ahoudori no Uta serialized in Business Jump (Young Jump Comics volume 2 per October 2010) and the psychological drama series Riman Gambler Mouse, first serialized in Morning (four of four volumes per 2001.11), and its one-volume sequel, Riman Gambler Mouse: Jotai Jigokuhen, serialized in MiChao! (KCDX MiChao KC: 2008.09).

Level Comics manga and manhua (2011.11.09)

  1. The Black Swindler (Kurosagi) vol 15 of 20 by Kuromaru & Natsuhara Takeshi
  2. LC: The Black Swindler 15

    Kurosagiクロサギ
    by Kuromaru & Natsuhara Takeshi
    Shogakukan Young Sunday, seinen
    Volume 15 (chapters 153-155 and 156-163) first published in Japan 2007.10

    Awards
    Best Seinen/General Manga, 53rd Shogakukan Manga Awards (2007), along with Sekiya Tetsuji's Bambino!

    Related
    Shin Kurosagi (sequel, volume 13 street date: 2011.12.27)

    Adaptations
    An 11-episode live-action renzoku starring Yamashita Tomohisa (Kurosaki) and Horikita Maki (Yoshikawa Tsurara) aired on TBS from April to June 2006. A movie starring the same leads premiered in Japan on 8 March 2008.

  3. Brave Story (Brave Story - Shinsetsu) vol 6 of 20 by Miyabe Miyuki and Ono Yoichiro
  4. LC: Brave Story 6

    Brave Story - Shinsetsu
    ブレイブ・ストーリー~新説~
    by Miyabe Miyuki and Ono Yoichiro
    AKA Brave Story: A Retelling of a Classic
    Shinchosha Comic Bunch, seinen
    Volume 6 first published in Japan 2005.03

    Related
    Adapted from Miyabe Miyuki-sensei's Brave Story light novel

    Other languages
    English Brave Story (TOKYOPOP: five volumes; the Brave Story novel was published by VIZ Media 2009.11), French (Kurokawa: Tome 20 shipped 2011.02) and traditional Chinese (Tong Li Taiwan)

  5. The Drops of God (Kami no Shizuku) vol 9 of 31+ by Agi Tadashi & Okimoto Shu
  6. LC: The Drops of God 9

    Kami no Shizuku: Les Gouttes de Dieu
    神の雫」 by Agi Tadashi & Okimoto Shu
    Kodansha Morning, seinen
    Volume 9 first published in Japan 2006.11

    Awards
    Special Award of the Year - La Revue du vin de France (French wine magazine); Nominee (Glénat's Les Gouttes de Dieu, tome 1), French Angoulême Comics Awards; Nominee, 1st Keitai Comic Taishō (Mobile Phone Comic Award, along with Hiura Satoru's Hotaru no Hikari, Miyasaka Kaho's Kare First Love and 17 other manga)

    Other languages
    French (Glénat: Les Gouttes de Dieu Tome 21 shipped 2011.10.19 • Tome 22 street date: 2012.02.08), traditional Chinese (Sharp Point Press Taiwan: 神之水滴 29 per 2011.09), English Drops of God (Vertical: one volume per 2011.09 • volume 2 street date: 2011.12.13)

    Adaptations
    A live-action renzoku starring Kamenashi Kazuya as Kanzaki Shizuku aired from January to March 2009 in Japan on NTV.

  7. Lost Man vol 5 of 14+ by Kusaba Michiteru
  8. LC: Lost Man 5

    Lost ManLOST MAN
    by Kusaba Michiteru
    Shogakukan Young Sunday (later moved to Big Comic Spirits after 31 July 2008), seinen
    Volume 5 first published in Japan 2009.08

  9. Love Affair (Bokutachi wa Shitte Shimatta) vol 11 of 13+ by Miyasaka Kaho
  10. LC: Love Affair 11

    Bokutachi wa Shitte Shimatta
    僕達は知ってしまった」 by Miyasaka Kaho
    AKA We Experienced the Affair
    Shogakukan Cheese!, shoujo
    Volume 11 first published in Japan 2011.02

    Other languages
    German (Egmont Manga & Anime: Lebe deine Liebe Band 11 released 2011.11.04 • Band 12 street date: 2012.01), French (Marvel Panini France: A Romantic Love Story Tome 11 per 2011.10.19 • Tome 12 street date: 2012.02.15)

    Adaptations
    The Bokutachi wa Shitte Shimatta ~ Kare to Kanojo to Aitsu no Himitsu light novel written by Takase Yunoka was released under the Flower Comics Lululu novels label on 2011.07.26.

    Related
    The official Bokutachi wa Shitte Shimatta Kōshiki Fanbook (JP release: 2011.07)

  11. Over Rev vol 21 of 31 by Yamaguchi Katsumi & Team 39
  12. LC: Over Rev 21

    Over Rev!オーバーレブ!
    by Yamaguchi Katsumi & Team 39
    Shogakukan Young Sunday, seinen
    Volume 21 (chapters 229-239) first published in Japan 2002.05

    Reissues
    Released in 13 wide-ban from 2007.05 to 2008.05 and in bunko as OVER REV! A Legend of Ultimate Hot Rodder (15 volumes published as at 2009.04)

  13. [Series Premiere] Ranko The Governor (Chiji Ranko) vol 1 of 4 by Takahashi Noboru
  14. LC: Ranko The Governor 1

    Chiji Ranko知事ラン子
    by Takahashi Noboru
    Shogakukan Big Comics, seinen
    Volume 1 (chapters 1-7 and 8) first published in Japan 2004.09

  15. The Ravages of Time (Huo Feng Liao Yuan) vol 14 of 43+ by Chan Mou
  16. LC: The Ravages of Time 14

    Sanguozhi Qunxiongzhuan: Huo Feng Liao Yuan火鳳燎原
    by Chan Mou
    AKA Fiery Phoenix Burns Steppes
    Tong Li New Youth, seinen

    Other languages/serializations
    Simplified Chinese (Chuang Yi: 火凤燎原 #42 released 2011.09.05), Japanese (Media Factory 三国志群雄伝 火鳳燎原 9 per 2009.12), Vietnamese Hỏa Phụng Liêu Nguyên. The manhua is also published in Mainland China, Korea and Thailand.

[Release links are hide/unhide. Click for more details.]

[ROMICs] European comics/BDs

  1. Leonard - Jenius Tingkat Tinggi (Léonard, Tome 4: Hi-Fi génie) by Turk - De Groot (Le Lombard)
  2. Marsupilami - Fordlandia (Le Marsupilami, Tome 6: Fordlandia) by Franquin, Batem & Yann (Marsu Production)
Read more »