The Best New Manga of June 2016

Fruits Basket Collectors Edition, Vol. 1, by Natsuki Takaya
Fruits Basket Collectors Edition, Vol. 2, by Natsuki Takaya
Yen Press kicks off its new edition of one of the most popular shoujo manga ever with two double-size volumes. Cheerful orphan Tohru Honda is so determined to never cause any trouble to anyone that when her grandfather’s house is being renovated, she goes off and lives in a tent. By an incredible coincidence of the sort only found in shoujo manga, the hottest guy in her class, Yuki Sohma, lives nearby with his two cousins, and she soon moves in and brightens up their bachelor lives. This isn’t a fluffy high school romance, though. Some members of the Sohma family turn into animals when they are hugged by a member of the opposite sex, and this ancient curse has left the family scarred and dysfunctional. There are 13 animals altogether, and Natsuki Takaya weaves her story around all of them, drawing the reader in with a complex plot and heartfelt emotion. Yen Press’s new Collectors Edition is modeled on the deluxe Japanese edition and includes full-color pages and other nice touches.

Tokyo Ghoul, Vol. 7, by Sui Ishida
The first six volumes of Tokyo Ghoul mixed action sequences with world-building, leading up to a big shift in the story in volume 6. We see that pay off in volume 7, with our half human/half ghoul hero Ken Kaneki in the hands of the evil Aogiri Tree organization—and his compatriots from the Anteiku Café (plus a surprise addition) rallying to help him. At the same time, Tokyo’s anti-ghoul task force, the CCG, is executing its own operation in the 11th Ward. There’s a pretty disturbing torture scene in this volume, but it’s not gratuitous, and as in other volumes, Ishida paces the story well, intercutting moments of extreme violence with a dream sequence in which we learn more of Ken’s backstory. Tokyo Ghoul continues to be not only a gripping urban supernatural action story but also a meditation on what it is to be human—and inhuman.

Black Clover, Vol. 1, by Yuki Tabata
Black Clover seems to have been deliberately created to fill the Naruto-shaped hole in our world that opened up last fall, when Masashi Kishimoto’s long-running series came to an end. It’s hardly a coincidence that the hero, Asta, looks a lot like our favorite hokage-wannabe, right down to the headband, or that he’s a plucky orphan who dreams big—Asta wants to be the Wizard King—despite the fact that he’s literally the only person in his world without a magic power. Oh, and he has a rival with much superior powers, too—his former best friend from the orphanage. So far, we’ve described pretty much every Shonen Jump manga ever, right? Black Clover mixes it up a bit, with some nice Harry Potter touches (there’s even a sorting ceremony), but it also turns the shonen clichés up to 11: The action scenes are highly kinetic, the mean guys are super mean, and the Magic Knights that accept Asta as a member are a ragtag crew of misfits, including a scantily clad and inappropriately suggestive woman, a guy with a little-sister obsession, and a reckless daredevil who quickly becomes Asta’s new best friend. It’s a fun pastiche that picks up on all the over-the-top elements of shonen manga and never gets bogged down or boring.

Space Dandy, Vol. 1, by Masafumi Harada and BONES
Adapted from the Space Dandy anime, this is an intergalactic action story about an alien hunter, Dandy, whose job is to travel through the universe looking for hitherto unknown life forms in order to register them with the space authorities. He’s a dashing fellow, if not too bright, and his colleagues are a cat-like alien, Meow, and a robot that strongly resembles a vacuum cleaner, QT. Expect plenty of action and comedy as Dandy hurtles through space in search of his prey, stopping only to take a break at his favorite bar, an outer-space version of Hooters.

Complex Age, Vol. 1, by Yui Sakuma
Complex Age does for cosplay what Genshiken does for anime clubs: It’s a drama with real characters that also explores its own particular corner of the geek universe. Nagisa Kataura is a skilled cosplayer who spends everything she earns at her temp job on materials and supplies. Her best friend Kimiko is a cosplay photographer, and together they go to cons and set up shoots based on Nagisa’s favorite anime, Magical Riding Hood Ururu. Nagisa likes to dress as the title character, but when she helps two novices get started, things start to go a bit sideways—especially when she realizes one of them looks more like her favorite character than she does. The plot and characters are well developed, and the intricacies of cosplay and cosplay culture are explained as it goes along, so the book is not only a good read but an fascinating introduction to the world of cosplayers.

Princess Jellyfish, Vol. 2, by Akiko Higashimura
The second volume of this comedy-drama continues the story of the denizens of Amamizukan, a special residence for women with strong enthusiasms. Tsukumi Kurashita, the lead character, is obsessed with jellyfish, and her attempt to save an endangered jellyfish in a pet shop led her into an unlikely friendship in volume 1. As development threatens Amamizukan, the women must act to save their special retreat—and the new friend may turn out to be a valuable ally. With an anime already available to English-language fans, Princess Jellyfish was a much-requested title, and Kodansha Comics has obliged with omnibus-sized two-in-one volumes, making it easy to catch up on the story.
What manga are you reading this month?