Manga Shout Out: 2/7/11 - 2/13/11

Welcome to the next New Manga Shout Out. With the no-raws/scans rule on MH, you have to work a bit to find these mangas. What with it being Valentine's Day/Single Awareness Day, we have a nice mix of romance, fantasy, and action. Remember, if you like any of the series, favorite them. Don't forget to also thank the various people who feed your manga addiction. ^_^ Translators and Scanlators, please check out these series and see if you can spread some more manga love~

We're still looking for people who know Japanese and want to help write summaries for our manga database and for the shout out. Please PM me if you want to help out. Now onto the series~


Demographics: Shoujo
Status: 1 Volume (Complete)
Manga Details Page: Here
Translations: None
Scanlations: None

In the closet of her new apartment, Kae finds a notebook left behind by a previous tenant, Mano Ibuki-sensei. It's Ibuki's diary record of her early elementary school teaching career. The notebook enthralls Kae, who also hopes to become an elementary school teacher. Kae fills up her time with her studies, her mandolin playing, and working part-time at a stationary store, but she misses her best friend Hana, who is studying abroad.

To make matters worse, Hana's boyfriend, Kashima, seems to be trying to flirt with Kae in Hana's absence. Kae has no desire to betray her friend, and she is actually more interested in a dark-haired artist, Ishitobi, that she finds herself constantly running into. Kae finds comfort, inspiration, and new insight through reading the forgotten notebook of Ibuki-sensei.

Thanks go to tethysdust for the summary.

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Demographics: Seinen
Status: 2 Volumes (Complete)
Manga Details Page: Here
Translations: None
Scanlations: None

Sanae is a teenage girl who just transferred to her new school. Her hobby is playing mmo games online with other players. Although she is shy in real life, the game lets her express herself. Little does she know, the same group she plays online with are her classmates. Ayano is the college student who still looks like she is in middle school, while her younger sister Miyano is mature and responsible. Chiharu is the ditsy sports gal while Minato is the tomboy. But when they all log onto their accounts, they work together to kill monsters.

Thanks go to vyc for the summary.

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Demographics: Shounen
Status: 2 Volumes (Complete)
Manga Details Page: Here
Translations: None
Scanlations: None

Masaki Kenshi was taken from his home and was sent with a combat suit to assassinate the young queen Rashara. His mission was unsuccessful and he was captured and would have been typically executed for such a crime. However, Rashara, seeing that Kenshi was forced to carry out such a mission, pardons his life. She allows him to stay at the pilot academy and he becomes friends with many of the women surrounding Rashara. However, there are deep secrets that may threaten the comfortable life that Kenshi is living right now.

Thanks go to vyc for the summary.

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Demographics: Seinen
Status: 1 Volume (Ongoing)
Manga Details Page: Here
Translations: None
Scanlations: None

During the early 20th century, along with technological advancements, scientists were able to develop sophisticated magic. The combination of science and sorcery was Makinot, circuits made from spells that were put into objects to bring them to life and even gain a personality. It was developed as a military weapon and has now spread throughout the world. Akabane Raishin is now attending the Royal Academy to become the best in the world. Accompanied by the lovely teenage girl Yaya, who is actually Raishin’s puppet weapon, he plans on rocketing to the top of the class. However, his test scores come nearly dead last although his combat skills and determination are second to none. Raishin has to compete with the most deadliest of classmates if he wants to come out as the king.

Thanks go to vyc for the summary.

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Demographics: Shounen
Status: 4 Volumes (Complete)
Manga Details: Here
Translations: None
Scanlations: None

In an age where samurai hold great respect and immense power, a new king rises to its throne. He orders the greatest blacksmith in the land to use a special rare metal called the Tamahagane to forge the best katanas for his elite force of the best samurais. A young girl named Kokuran and her aid Kazuramaru are on their way to the capital to get a glance at the new king. Kokuran has incredibly long hair with a heavy metal ball at the end. It is actually made from Tamahagane and the katanas that the king had made are part of her soul and the more she recovers, the more personality Kokuran is able to regain.

She is on a mission to regain herself even if it means that she has to fight her way through the entire squadron of the king’s elite samurais.

Thanks go to vyc for the summary.

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Demographics: Seinen
Status: 2 Volumes (Complete)
Manga Details Page: Here
Translations: None
Scanlations: None

Takagi Fumiko is a particularly tall teenage girl who is really self conscious about her height. Her best friend Hanada Koyuki, although short, is completely different from Fumiko. Where Koyuki is always upbeat and friendly, Fumiko is shy and nervous. The guy that Fumiko has a crush on is shorter than she is which makes her even more terrible about her height. Fumiko has to learn to accept who she is before she can let anyone into her life.

Thanks go to vyc for the summary.

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Demographics: Shoujo
Status: 1 Volume (Complete)
Manga Details Page: Here
Translations: None
Scanlations: None

A compilation of four oneshots.

1) ノスタルジア (Nostalgia)
Androids that were used by the military as weapons of mass destruction are now being acclimated to human life. Setsu chooses a female android, Sirius, to foster. Sirius, who has taken so many human lives, must now learn what it truly means to be human. How will she cope with the knowledge that her "foster father" is mortal, while she is destined to last centuries?

2) 恋愛は、普通 (Renai wa, Futsuu / Love is Ordinary)
Rira is an adorably angelic high school boy and is insanely attractive to all the other high school boys. Their fascination has ruined his chances with girls, who are jealous of the attention he draws away from them. One day, he befriends a recovering hikikomori girl, who is ostracized by the others for being insanely creepy in a J-horror sort of way...

3) 赤い実 (Akai mi / Red Essence)
The prince of a powerful kingdom has killed his parents and invaded the neighboring kingdoms. He is a tyrant of destruction, but he has one dangerous secret. He has a twin sister, who has been kept imprisoned, with no human interaction to comfort or teach her. One day, a sorcerer comes to her and gives her the knowledge and intelligence to threaten her brother's rule...

4) な忘れそ (Na wasureso / Let's Forget)
Tomoya and Harua were close friends as children, and their friendship blossomed into a tentative romance. After the setback of physical illness, Harua appears to be pulling away emotionally. He warns Tomoya that there are rumors that they're gay. Will their connection to each other be strong enough to overcome both physical setbacks and the taunts of their classmates?

Thanks go to tethysdust for the summary.

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Demographics: Shounen
Status: 1 Volume (Ongoing)
Manga Details Page: Here
Translations: None
Scanlations: None

Many generations ago, during the time of a great war, the greatest sorcerer who ever lived, Tsuchimikado Yako, in an attempt to give more military power to Japan, used a forbidden magic that backfired and made the city of Tokyo very vulnerable to spiritual attacks. Although Yako perished from that spell, the rest of the country was left to deal with the consequences and created a division to combat these spiritual attacks as well as train new sorcerers.

Harutora is from the lower class of Tsuchimikado but, as he is unable to see spirits, has given up on becoming a sorcerer. He lives in a city far from Tokyo and has a normal school life with his best friend Toji and his (semi) girlfriend Hokuto. He is content with living a normal life. However, when his childhood friend and family member from the upper class Tsuchimikado, Natsume, comes back into town after being in Tokyo for sorcerer training, a series of events lead up to a decision that will impact Toji, Hokuto and his life forever.

Thanks go to vyc for the summary.

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Demographics: Girl's Love
Status: 4 Volumes (Ongoing)
Manga Details Page: Here
Translations: None
Scanlations: Chapter 1-22

This manga follows the everyday life stories of a group of 13-14 year old girls. Kyouko and Yui welcome their friend Akari, who is a year younger, to middle school and to their "amusement club." This club consists of the three of them hanging out and talking in the free clubroom of the now-abolished tea club. Their circle of friends slowly expands to include other girls at school, such as adorable, little Chinatsu, Kyouko's rival Ayano, and the yuri fantasy-prone Chitose.

Thanks go to tethysdust for the summary.

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This is what tethysdust said this week:
Lots of fluffy romance this week, appropriate for Valentine's Day. Yuru Yuri was cute, if you're into schoolgirl slice of life type stuff.
Here's a note from vyc:
Insanely great series this week. Most of them are through with their first volume so they have some legs behind it. Kokuran - really liked the backstory on this one. the author is able to change the main characters personality as the story progresses and the other characters he introduces are great. Tokyo Ravens - okay, I cant say enough good things about this series. the drawings are insanely well done. The backstory and plot line are developed interesting and fairly original. Fell in love with all the characters including the villans. I typically hate the romantic side of these type of series but the author knows how to draw you in emotionally and the romance is actually a super integral part of the bigger picture too. All in all, amazing series and hope everyone reads it. Kikou Shoujo wa Kizutsukanai - a boy with his hot partner goes to an academy to kick some ass. Sounds a bit cliche but the baseline is there, like the wide array of characters and plotlines so give it time and it might be big.
My opinion:
Machi Machi's description reminds me of Lovely Complex. I would love to read Nostalgia since it's by the author of Fruits Basket. Tokyo Ravens's art looks really good and vyc's description makes it a good pick to be scanlated~



Translated items that need some love/scanlation:
sonsofloki - Young Shima Kousaku: Chapter 1


If you haven't done so already, check out the scanlations of the mangas from previous shout outs which have been recently scanlated: ecchi comedy Maji de Watashi ni Koi Shinasai (MH link), supernatural fantasy Gate 7 (MH link), Girl's Love fantasy Konohanatei Kitan (MH link), fantasy comedy Kikai Tonchi Banashi Hanasaka Ikkyuu (MH link.