I feel like I’ve been slacking on my shôjo reading lately. It isn’t that I’ve had a shortage of reading material in general or manga in particular, but it’s been pretty boy-centric.
The folks at CMX sent me a set of galleys of the fourth volume of Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne, and it’s left me sufficiently intrigued that I want to check out the earlier books in the series. Joan of Arc reincarnated as a high-school student who moonlights as an art thief? That’s just too weird to ignore. There’s still a whole bevy of Swans I haven’t read yet.
I’m a volume behind on Crimson Hero (Viz – Shojo Beat), Tenshi Ja Nai!! (Go! Comi) and Nodame Cantabile (Del Rey), all of which I really enjoy. I wonder if I have a personal shopping day at WaldenBorders? It would certainly come in handy.
On top of all this, Viz e-mailed a press release that makes me want the July issue of Shojo Beat. It’s the one-year anniversary issue, and will feature the beginning of Yuu Watase’s “Drawing With Yuu” three-part tutorial series. (I don’t want to learn to draw, in shôjo style or otherwise, but it sounds like one of the more interesting extras the book has offered.)
The issue will also feature the debut of Matsuri Hino’s Vampire Knight. Hino will be appearing at this summer’s Comic-Con, which brings the number of women guests to… um… four.
(Edited to note a quick correction: Vampire Knight will be one of the ongoing series in Shojo Beat, though no confirmation on what it might be replacing.)