The week between Christmas and New Year’s is always very new-release light, so this year I’ve decided to look back at some of my favorite new manga that came out in 2014. I say favorite because I don’t like saying best. There are still so many titles waiting for me to read them, I don’t feel qualified to claim these were the best of 2014, but they are the ones that I enjoyed the most.
2014 is the year I discovered Attack on Titan. Yeah, I know. I’m waaayyyy behind the times, but I seemed to have joined the fold at just the right time. Several spin-off titles were released this year, and my favorite among them was Attack on Titan: No Regrets from Kodansha Comics. I had no idea who Levi and Erwin were beyond being leaders of the Survey Corps in the main series when I picked up this two-volume series. Levi quickly became my favorite. I loved his brooding, angry attitude combined with his concern for his friends and clean-freak-ness. The art was great too, making it a bit of a shock when I finally did see him in the main series.
Spin-offs have been doing well for me. Yen Press had one that I enjoyed, and was one of the few new titles they released that I actually had the time to read. Puella Magi Madoka Magica: A Different Story is another retelling of the Madoka Magica main story from a different perspective. I really liked the main series, and have enjoyed the spin-offs set in alternate realities, and this series so far fits into that. I’m looking forward to seeing what direction the series ends up goes in.
Vertical Comics released a lot of good titles this year, but the one I read that I enjoyed the most was What Did You Eat Yesterday? by Fumi Yoshinaga. It’s a great slice of life story that combines food and the everyday life of two gay men. I love Shiro and Kenji. They have a great relationship that’s a lot of fun to watch. The supporting characters are great too. I’m not a foodie, so the food part doesn’t excite me, but it is such a great story overall that I can over look it.
Udon Entertainment doesn’t release a lot of manga, but their new line, Manga Classics got me excited. I love the idea of being able to read some of the classic novels that I was never exposed to or thought I would have an interest in reading. Pride and Prejudice was one of their first releases, along with Les s. I passed on Les Misérables. Just reading the preview brought me down. But Pride and Prejudice was a lot of fun. It’s a great romantic comedy that hits many of my romance buttons. I’m looking forward to more of their books coming up in 2015.
It seems I spent 2014 catching up on Viz Media older releases, and barely got to read any of their new releases. I did read Phantom Thief Jeanne, but it didn’t wow me. One of their last titles though, that I just received gets my most anticipated release for 2014. Master Keaton by Naoki Urasawa is kind of the holy grail for me. A manga about an archaeologist is something I’ve always wanted to read, and this series is heralded as one of the best. I just never thought we would see it. Even though I won’t make reading it in 2014, it is next on my list, and I can’t wait to get reading.
I didn’t get any new titles from Seven Seas Entertainment or Digital Manga Publishing. Maybe in 2015 I’ll be able to branch out to them more. Seven Seas has announced some titles I’m really looking forward to. I did want to pick up the first volume of Arpeggio of Blue Steel, but I never found the right opportunity. If DMP could do more titles that are boys love or Tezuka, and tell people about them, I might be able to find more from them to add.
2014 shaped up to be a good year for manga, and 2015 is looking to be about the same, or maybe even better! I’m looking forward to seeing what publishers have in store for us!