Manga Recommendation: Bunny Drop

Defying the odds by writing another post this week! This time it’s because I simply must tell you about Yumi Unita’s Bunny Drop (うさぎドロップ).

Admittedly, I wasn’t even planning to read it when I first saw the advertisement in the back of With the Light because it sounded far too shōjo-y. The world really only needs one Aishiteruze Baby, after all. But after picking it up at the store based on the classy cover I was intrigued. Apparently the “bunny” isn’t just any little girl, it’s his late 79 year-old grandfather’s illegitimate love child.

With the Light, Volume 6

I’ve already said on more than one occasion how much I love this series. How each new volume ends up being read upwards of twenty times before I finally set it aside and wait for the next one. How much it has taught me about autism. Unfortunately, this is the second-to-last time I’ll be raving over a new volume – and the reason was enough to drag me out of hiding long enough to write a new post. Keiko Tobe-sensei passed away in January after a long illness, and Yen Press will be publishing the last volume, number 7, in September.

In case you haven’t already heard it from me, With the Light (光とともに; Hikari to tomo ni) is about the Azuma family – Sachiko, Masato, Kanon and Hikaru, who is autistic. The series follows the family as they struggle with Hikaru’s diagnosis, his education and the way he is treated by people around them, including their own family members

Matsuri Akino Otaku Week: Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo

Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo (新ペットショップオブホーラズ; Shin (New) Pet Shop of Horrors) picks up a little after the first series with D opening a shop in a Neo Chinatown located in the less-than-reputable Kabukicho area. Sketchy characters, pets that aren’t always what they seem and enough sweets to kill a flock of hummingbirds…the only thing missing is Q-chan. And Leon. But it wouldn’t be a series without someone for D to torment and this time around it’s Woo-Fei Rau, the suspicious, power-hungry manager of the Neo Chinatown building.

Matsuri Akino Otaku Week: Pet Shop of Horrors

Welcome to Matsuri Akino Otaku Week! I’m a huge fan of Akino-sensei’s work, so I’m going to take this opportunity to spend a week discussing her various series that have been licensed and translated. First up is one of my all-time favorite series and the one that got me addicted to Akino, Pet Shop of [...]

Manga Recommendation: With the Light

Something I have always found particularly interesting about manga is that no matter who you are or what your position is, there is a manga targeted toward you in Japan. There are manga designed specifically for businessmen, cat lovers and even young mothers. Because many of them aren’t considered “exciting” enough to draw a large audience, there are few of these specialized manga that see an English translation.