Welcome to Manga Zubon, where I take a look at the manga that have come out each month and pick what I think are the best of the lot. These are the manga that I feel deserve recognition and readership more than the rest, so I’m singling them out. My focus in this column is mostly on first volumes to get you in on the ground floor of new series, but I will include standouts in ongoing series as well. Keep in mind that though I do my best, I can’t read everything that comes out each month, so if you have something you think I missed or just have something to say about the ones I’ve chosen, please chime in in the comments section.

Kashimashi V.1
Writer: Satoru Akahori
Artist: Yukimaru Katsura
Publisher: Seven Seas

I’m not normally a fan of ‘guy gets turned into a girl’ manga, as it’s usually either played for gags or is really creepy, but Kashimashi is actually interested in exploring some of the effects of that transformation. Hazumu, who is accidentally hit by a crashing spaceship and reconstructed by the aliens as a girl, was pretty feminine to begin with, but actually being a girl is a bit of a shock. He has a lot to learn, and life is a bit different. On the one hand, the girl he likes, Yasuna, only rejected him before because she’s not into guys, so that’s changing. On the other, his friend Tomari secretly liked him before and doesn’t want to let go of that just yet. An interesting exploration of identity and personality, this yuri ended up being surprisingly thoughtful and enjoyable.

Kurohime V.1
Creator: Masanori Ookamigumi Katakura
Publisher: Viz

This one was quite a bit of fun. The premise is that there are powerful gunslingers called witch gunslingers who mix magic and guns. The greatest and sexiest of these was Kurohime, until she challenged the gods themselves and was cursed to have the form of a child until she falls in love. Now master gunman Zero, who was inspired by Kurohime when he was young, travels the world with the young version of her, dispensing justice and trying to turn this annoying brat into a decent person. Flashes of compassion bring the old Kurohime back for short periods, giving them both hope that the curse can be broken. Over the top gunfighting, hilarious antics, and fun heroics made this a great read all around.

Path of the Assassin V.7
Writer: Kazuo Koike
Artist: Goseki Kojima
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics

It’s been a bit since we saw a volume of this series, and I’ve been waiting eagerly. The story of a young Tokugawa Ieyasu establishing his power base during a famous period of Japanese history with the support of a young Hattori Hanzo is exciting, touching, intriguing, and racy all at once. Hanzo and Ieyasu balance friendship with the needs of a ruler and the social codes they live by, and Koike manages it with a subtle hand. Kojima’s amazing ability to manage detail and convey emotion all at once blows me away. In this volume, Ieyasu takes a mistress, an assassin attacks, Hideyoshi visits, and Hanzo ponders whether having a child will make him disloyal, and that’s just for starters.

Phoenix V.11
Creator: Osamu Tezuka
Publisher: Viz

The final volume in Tezuka’s life’s work finally arrives. Well, strictly speaking, there will be one more, but it’s going to be collecting early material that isn’t truly part of the manga, so really, this is the finale. I wouldn’t suggest jumping in here if you want to see what Tezuka is all about, but you should definitely check this series out for some of his best work ever. The stories jump back and forth in time, but all involve the theme of eternal life, embodied by the Phoenix, and characters tend to recur as they are reincarnated. Because of this, Tezuka gets to tell both historical and science fiction stories, sometimes interlaced, and the effect is really just amazing.

Poison Candy V.1
Writer: David Hine
Artist: Hans Steinbach
Publisher: Tokyopop

I’ve enjoyed David Hine’s mainstream comics work and Hans Steinbach’s art on A Midnight Opera, so I had a suspicion I would like this book, and I was right. The basic idea is that a killer virus that targets only a small percentage of teenagers is also awakening telekinetic powers in them. One group is trying to cryogenically freeze as many victims as it can while it finds a cure, and another group (the government) wants that work stopped. When Sam Chance contracts the virus, the decisions he makes have ramifications he never expects. An intriguing story, well-told, with some cool twists and dynamic art. Excellent.

Tekkonkinkreet
Creator: Taiyo Matsumoto
Publisher: Viz

This is one of the most incredible manga I’ve read in quite a while, and I don’t say that lightly. It’s ostensibly the story of two orphans, Black and White, who run the streets of decaying Treasure Town together, taking on all comers, but it’s really so much more than that. It’s a look at the loss of innocence, for Black, the city itself, and for several other characters. It’s a condemnation of old ways being pushed aside for new. It can mean a lot of things, depending on how you read it, but the one thing I know for sure is that Matsumoto has done some brilliant work here. This one has been getting a lot of hype, and it lives up to it.