Looking over the Viz titles that Diamond plans to de-list, I see several series that really deserve the VizBig treatement—if not for the casual consumer (i.e. me), then for the libraries that are making a commitment to buying manga and graphic novels. Here are the books I’d most like to see re-issued in that three-for-one format:
- Banana Fish
- Basara
- The Drifting Classroom
- Eagle: The Making of an Asian-American President
- Firefighter Daigo of Company M
- Flowers & Bees
- From Far Away
- Kekkaishi
- Maison Ikkoku
- Mermaid Saga
- Please Save My Earth
- Red River
- The Return of Lum: Urusei Yatsura
I’d add Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs to the list, but then I’d have to publicly admit that I enjoy such a totally schlocky series.
As for titles that are already out of print, my top candidates would be Rumiko Takahashi’s Rumic Trilogy and Mitsuru Adachi’s Short Program. I’d also love to see X/1999 re-issued in omnibus format, as many of the early volumes are exceptionally difficult to find in stores. And it goes without saying that I’d love to see Viz re-issue No. 5 in any format, though I realize I’m more likely to see a woman in the White House first.