Hamada-sensei's class, manga sign-up

Please use an account to post a comment and thereby reserve manga for this week. You can create an AIM, LiveJournal, Gmail/Google account if you do not already have an existing one.

You can view samples of most of the manga that are listed online. We are in the process of uploading the information for some other manga that we can use in class, but for now please select from the ones posted online here. We have tried to take samples that represent the content and difficulty, but this can change a lot within the same manga.

Also, feel free to post comments (not here, but in each manga blog entry) about the manga, if you found it interesting, difficult, liked the illustrations, loved it, hated it, etc. These comments might help other students chose a good manga and will help us figure out what you like so that we can get more of something similar if our budget increases.

Thank you, and enjoy!

Nishida-sensei's class, manga sign-up

Please use an account to post a comment and thereby reserve manga for this week. You can create an AIM, LiveJournal, Gmail/Google account if you do not already have an existing one.

You can view samples of most of the manga that are listed online. We are in the process of uploading the information for some other manga that we can use in class, but for now please select from the ones posted online here. We have tried to take samples that represent the content and difficulty, but this can change a lot within the same manga.

Also, feel free to post comments (not here, but in each manga blog entry) about the manga, if you found it interesting, difficult, liked the illustrations, loved it, hated it, etc. These comments might help other students chose a good manga and will help us figure out what you like so that we can get more of something similar if our budget increases.

Thank you, and enjoy!

One Piece (Wan Piisu) vol. 4, 5

ワンピース One piece
From http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=33


As a child, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of becoming the King of the Pirates. But his life changed when he accidentally gained the power to stretch like rubber…at the cost of never being able to swim again! Now Luffy, with the help of a motley collection of pirate wannabes, is setting off in search of the "One Piece," said to be the greatest treasure in the world...


sample:

Kosumo na Bokura, vol. 1-4

宇宙(コスモ)なボクら！ (Note about title: this kanji compound is usually pronounced うちゅう but is forced to be read コスモ {Cosmo} in this case)

From http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=243

This 4 volume manga is about Haruko, who, after her mother's death, gains her mom's familiar and her witch's name. Unfortunately, Silk, the cat familiar, has been unable to teach Haruko any magic but dream communication. But beware, if anyone finds out her witch name, she'll have to obey that person. Is this real, or is it all in her mind?

sample:

Bokura no Kaikata Oshiemasu, vol. 1-6

僕らの飼い方教えます
From http://clark-web.net/michex1/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=3697&p=29821&hilit=%E5%83%95%E3%82%89%E3%81%AE%E9%A3%BC%E3%81%84%E6%96%B9%E6%95%99%E3%81%88%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99#p29821

Akane is a high school freshman. She entered the high school where her mother, who died five years ago, went, and started living in the dorm. But her life in there seems to be a crazy one...! A special recipe for delicious love.

Pocket Monsters (Poketto Monsutaa), vol. 1

ポケットモンスター
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon

In most incarnations of the fictional Pokémon universe, a Trainer that encounters a wild Pokémon is able to capture that Pokémon by throwing a specially designed, mass-producible tool called a Poké Ball at it. If the Pokémon is unable to escape the confines of the Poké Ball, that Pokémon is officially considered under the ownership of that Trainer. Afterward, it will obey whatever commands its new master issues to it from that point onward, unless the Trainer demonstrates enough of a lack of experience that the Pokémon would rather act on its own accord. Trainers can send out any of their Pokémon to wage non-lethal battles against other Pokémon; if the opposing Pokémon is wild, the Trainer can capture that Pokémon with a Poké Ball, increasing his or her collection of creatures. Pokémon already owned by other Trainers cannot be captured, except under special circumstances in certain games. If a Pokémon fully defeats an opponent in battle so that the opponent is knocked out (i.e., "faints"), the winning Pokémon gains experience and may level up. When leveling up, the Pokémon's statistics ("stats") of battling aptitude increase, such as Attack and Speed. From time to time the Pokémon may also learn new moves, which are techniques used in battle. In addition, many species of Pokémon possess the ability to undergo a form of metamorphosis and transform into a similar but stronger species of Pokémon, a process called evolution.

sample:

Bishoujou Senshi - Sailor Moon (Seeraa Muun), vol. 1, 4, 6

美少女戦士セーラームーン
From: http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=1395

Tsukino Usagi is 14 years old and in her second year of middle school. She's a bit of a crybaby and klutzy. However, she can transform into the senshi of justice, Sailormoon! An eternal classic that should be read by all.

sample:

23:00 (Nijuu-san-ji), vol. 1

From http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=1087

"In this world, is there really such a thing as an awesome guy?"
From the mangaka of KISS--a cool high school romance laced with the thrill of street dancing!
Midori just started high school and isn't interested in guys. She thinks they're all like her brother, Takeshi, who is rude and spoiled. Her way of thinking changes when a classmate of hers is pulled into the street dancing team led by Takeshi and his best friend, Sutou.
At first glance Higa may seem like a plain and quiet guy--but when the music starts flowing and his body starts moving--he transforms into a completely different person... Even Midori can't keep her eyes off him.

sample:

Watashi ga itemo inakutemo, vol. 1-3

私がいてもいなくても
From http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=11788

On her way to a part-time job, 18 year old Shouko Abe bumps into an old high school acquaintance, Maki, now a popular shoujo manga artist. Unlike Maki though, Shouko is unable to hold onto a steady job. When she is suddenly fired from her job, she is at a total loss, until she receives a phone call from Maki.....
Shoujo　romance

sample:

Wild Cats, vol. 1

Wild cats
From
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=1361http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=1361

If animals could speak, what would they say? This is a story about an abandoned lion that got picked up and raised as a cat.
It's highly entertaining and very amusing. And it's all from the lion's perspective... If you're a Reiko Shimizu fan or an animal lover, you should definitely check out this manga. I think everyone can find enjoyment in this work of hers.

sample:

Yume no Shiro, vol. 1

夢の城

Yume no Shiro is a one volume work by Masami Tsuda and consists of 3 short stories. Masami Tsuda is famous for Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou, or KareKano for short. These stories were drawn while Kare Kano was still running so the artwork is quite nice.
It's all about love couples. Also, there is a thread running through all three stories. That's a magician who helps the people. Who are the people he helps?
1) Inside the Forest
2) I'm a Mermaid
3) The Castle of Dreams


sample:

Ai-shikata mo Wakarazuni, vol. 1

愛し方も分からずに
From
http://emanga1.isoshu.com/bookinfo/27294

Collection of short stories: - Not Knowing How to Love - Everything was new to me: first love and first kiss... I didn't know how to love you... - Childhood Friends

sample:

Bokura ga ita, vol. 1-11

僕らがいた
From Hanashi
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=4565

The start of high school life. To the girls, that also meant the start of their love lives. For brand new first year student, Takahashi Nanami (Nana for short), it was no different... She happens to end up in the same class as the incredibly popular Yano Motoharu, who rumors say that two thirds of all the girls are guaranteed to fall in love with. But will that hold true for Nana, who says that if she had to choose between like or dislike, she'd say she dislikes him!?

Mizu ni Sumu Hana, vol. 1-5

水に棲む花
From http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=506

From ShoujoMagic:
It happened in the blink of an eye. Rikka's world turned upside down when her school field trip bus flipped and plummeted into a lake. Everyone inside that bus drowned... except for Rikka, but she wasn't saved by anything as simple as luck. When she was released from the hospital, Rikka was then attacked repeatedly in a series of bizarre incidents all involving water... and a sadistic aquatic beauty whose name is -- Rikka!? What does our heroine have that the sadistic Rikka wants back? What was it that saved her from drowning, and who gave it to her and why...?

sample:

Yuukan Club (Kurabu), vol. 4, special

有閑倶楽部
From http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=13912

Everyday is the same old boring activities and pattern for the rich students of the student government. The six of them only go to the Yukan club because they have nothing else to do. One day, one of them gets into trouble, and the other five help her to solve her problems.

Present (Purezento), vol. 1

プレゼント
From http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=15737

1. "Present"
This follows the main character through three periods of her life -- ages 13, 18 , and 21. AKI leads a normal life. She has friends, a family who cares about her, and a talent for writing. There's nothing seemingly wrong with her life, or herself for that matter. But when the the start of a new school year leads her to be in the same class as YOSHIKO, a classmate a year older than her who still carried with her noticeable scars from the horrific burns she suffered from a fire, she begins to discover the best and worst in herself.

2. "The Whereabouts of the Prince"
For HARUKA, AMI was a love at first sight. Everyone around him questions his tastes, calling her a plain Jane, but to him, it's as if she has a halo over her head. When he gets a friend to ask what her idea of the perfect guy is, she replies "someone prince-like." He takes this literally, and this sets him off on a journey to become the "Prince" of her dreams.

3. "There's Something I Want to Ask You"
SAE receives a phone call from AYUMU, a former classmate of hers. She finds it odd, because it had been years since they had seen each other, and back when they went to the same high school, she had never even spoken to her. When they bump into each other at their high school reunion, she finds that AYUMU has changed completely from her former high school self---with the help of some plastic surgery. With this chance meeting, they become fast friends, but there's something strange about AYUMU that she just can't put her finger on...

[Summary by oceansportrait]

sample:

Puri-chan to Issho

プリちゃんと一緒

It’s a funny story of a man who is crazy about his pet hamster, Puri-chan.

Peke, vol. 1-3

ペケＸ

It’s a 4 strip gag manga of high school students.

Honey Bunny (Hani Bani), vol. 1-2

ハニバニ！
From MangaCity:
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=498

A story of unrequited love and alien possession! Chiyo, a homely high school girl, hates the handsome Tsubaki for his cruel ways, but she can't help but have a crush on him at the same time. Pushed to the breaking point, she prays for him to go away, and that's just what happens. But where does alien possession fit into all of this? Read and find out. This is a shoujo manga like no other!

sample:

Doraemon

ドラエモン
From http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=683

Doraemon, a cat shaped robot which came from the 22nd century in the future, goes back in time in order to help Nobita, a below average lazy kid, to make his life less miserable and improve his descendent's life. With many of Doreamon's gadgets from the future, Nobita's life will never be the same.

Debu Neko

でぶねこ

It’s a simple and funny story of a cute fat cat! If you like cats, you’ll definitely love this story.

sample:

Super Mario (Suupaa Mario)

スーパーマリオ　４コマまんが

It’s a 4 strip gag manga of Super Mario brothers.

sample:

Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo, vol. 1-4, 33

金田一少年の事件簿
From Le Chateau de Jo

Kindaichi was the grandson of a famous detective, and although had an IQ of 180, did not do well in school. He cracked many cases using logic and the leads he could find at the scenes of murder. Although the murderers could be predictable at times, it is interesting to see how he solved the mystery.

sample:

Kaze no Tani no Naushika (official English title: "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind"), vol. 2-4

風の谷のナウシカ
From Viz:
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=4565

Humanity, in its hubris, has precipitated a devastating environmental disaster. Flourishing industrial civilizations have been swallowed up by the Sea of Corruption, an enormous forest of fungi releases a miasma of poisonous spores into the air. Nausicaa, a compassionate young princess, and her allies battle to heal a wounded world and its inhabitants...


sample:

Ouke no Monshou, vol. 1-15

王家の紋章
From Esthétique:
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=2836

Carol's family discovered an ancient Egyptian tomb that had been untouched for three thousand years. The discovery of the tomb comes with a thousand-year curse. Because of that curse, Carol's happy family is shattered and she is brought back in time to 3000 years ago.
There, Carol meets Memphis, the handsome but cruel pharaoh. Because of her vast knowledge in Egyptian history, she is able to help Egypt through many difficulties and she becomes intertwined with the history of that time, shaping the way conflicts are played out and hailed by the Egyptian people as the Nile Goddess.

sample:

Rurou ni Kenshin, vol 1-5

るろうに剣心
[From Viz]:
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=89

140 years ago in Kyoto, with the coming of the American "Black Ships," there arose a warrior who, felling men with his bloodstained blade, gained the name Hitokiri , man slayer! His killer blade helped close the turbulent Bakumatsu era and slashed open the progressive age known as Meiji . Then he vanished, and with the flow of years, became legend.

sample:

Baron

バロン
From Viz:
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=4550

When awkward schoolgirl Haru rescues a cat on her way home from school one day, the last thing she expects in return is to be honored by a feline royal family! Before she knows what's happening to her, Haru is drawn into a world inhabited entirely by talking cats--and recruited to be the next Cat Princess! Only the dapper cat Baron and his friends, a magical crow and a comical fat cat, along with a friend from Haru's past, can help her return home.

sample:

Hana yori Dango (official English title: "Boys Over Flowers"), vol. 1-7

花より男子
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=328


Although Tsukushi Makino is from a poor family, she attends an elite school for the super rich, where her life has become intertwined with the "F4," the ruling boys of the school, in a whirlwind of love and confusion!

sample:

Mononoke Hime (official English title: "Princess Mononoke"), vol. 1-4

もののけ姫
Also known as Princess Mononoke, the Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghilbi film.

In order to satisfy their own needs for land and resources, Man is encroaching on their sacred territory, cutting down the trees and destroying everything else that stand in their path. As a result, the animal gods became angry and attacked the encampment.

Into this conflict wanders a young boy, Ashitaka, a refugee of the Emishi people. His people still live in hiding, but when his village was attacked, he shot and killed one of the animal gods. For this he has been given the curse of death.

He has begun a search through Japan to find the secret of his curse when he arrives at the encampment. Outside of the encampment he is attacked by the "Monster Princess", a girl raised in the woods by Moro no Kimi (a 300 year old female dog god) and who is driven by a fierce hatred for the humans who are destroying the forest. She has repeatedly attacked the encampment, but after she meets Ashitaka, she becomes torn between her loyalty to the animal-gods and the world of the humans.
Surrounded by the warring characters of the humans on one side and the animal-gods on the other, each side believing in the righteouness of its cause, it is Ashitaka and San who must face each other personally and, by the end of the film, come to an understanding of each other's world and make the attempt to coexist without hatred and violence.

Not far from the heart of the sacred forest where the great Deer God dwells, a new town called Irontown is founded. Conflict seems inevitable.

A young girl, raised by wolves, and a warrior bearing a curse inflicted by the hatred of a dying Boar God are trying to make things right. Will they succeed?

sample:

Naruto, vol. 17-22

ナルト
From http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=15

Twelve years before the events at the focus of the series, the nine-tailed demon fox attacked Konohagakure. It was a powerful demon indeed; a single swing of one of its nine tails would raise tsunamis and flatten mountains. It raised chaos and slaughtered many people, until the leader of the Leaf Village - the Fourth Hokage - defeated it by sacrificing his own life to seal the demon inside a newly-born child. That child's name was Naruto Uzumaki


sample: