![\"bluesteel\"](\"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/bluesteel.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h3>\nArpeggio of Blue Steel<\/em> has everything a sci-fi action series needs to succeed: a post-apocalyptic setting, a colorful group of heroes, impressive battle scenes, and a bunch of sentient AI ladies bent on kicking humanity\u2019s ass. As the source material for the anime series of the same name, Blue Steel<\/em> follows the same \u201ckiller battleship girls\u201d premise, but offers a richer world and more compelling characters. (Seriously, it\u2019s so much better that I wrote an entire article<\/a> about the differences between the two versions.) If you like your science fiction served with a side of intense naval combat, or if you\u2019re just into the whole KanColle<\/em> phenomenon, give it a read. Come for the ship girls, stay for the sci-fi.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
For the school comedy fan: Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches<\/em><\/h3>\n![\"sevenwitches\"](\"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/sevenwitches.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe basic premise of Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches<\/em> is fairly standard as far as the genre goes. Tough guy meets smart girl, supernatural plot device forces them to work together, they end up falling in love while unraveling the school\u2019s magical secrets with a supporting cast of goofballs. Seven Witches<\/em> may use plenty of tried-and-true elements, but it uses them well. The jokes are funny, the witch powers are clever, and the occasional bits of drama ring true. While some members of the ever-expanding cast can be a bit irritating, the series does a good job of exploring what would happen if you gave a bunch of awkward teenagers supernatural abilities. Seven Witches<\/em> also gets bonus points for having all of its hundred-plus chapters up and ready to be read. I\u2019m looking at you, as-yet-untranslated chapters of Arpeggio of Blue Steel<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
For the (slightly) older reader: Space Brothers<\/em><\/h3>\n![\"spacebros\"](\"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/spacebros.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPlucky teenage heroes are fine, but those of us old enough to buy our own beer occasionally yearn for a story with characters closer to our own age. Enter Space Brothers<\/em>, one of my favorite manga and anime series in recent memory. The ensemble cast of astronauts, engineers, and instructors spans a wide age range, as does the series\u2019 appeal. Plenty of manga creators set their work in space, but few treat it with the same sort of reverence that you see in each chapter of Space Brothers<\/em>. It brings you into the everyday work that goes into space exploration, simultaneously making it all seem both relatable and extraordinary. I don\u2019t even care that the main character has gone over two hundred chapters without making it off of Earth. Each story Space Brothers<\/em> has told has been both intellectually stimulating and emotionally powerful. I cannot recommend this series highly enough. Go read it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
For the teenage drama fan: A Silent Voice<\/em><\/h3>\n![\"silentvoice\"](\"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/silentvoice.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nOne of Crunchyroll\u2019s newer acquisitions, A Silent Voice<\/em> is the kind of series that makes no attempt to be restrained or subtle in its presentation. Instead, it walks right up and punches you in the face with its characters\u2019 emotions. The lead character is a high school student faced with the ongoing consequences of some pretty terrible past decisions. We learn how he bullied a deaf classmate in grade school, and how his reputation has left him ostracized by everyone around him. His guilt and desire to atone lead him to track down his former victim, launching a story that hits hard and often on an emotional level. A Silent Voice<\/em> presents us with some very compelling, very flawed characters and challenges us to follow their journeys of redemption and forgiveness. It\u2019s not always an easy read, but it is perhaps an important one.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
For the artsy-fartsy manga snob (Hey, that\u2019s me!): Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru<\/em><\/h3>\n![\"soremachi\"](\"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/soremachi.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h3>\nYou know it\u2019s an unusual series when the publishers don\u2019t bother to use an English version of the title. Frequently translated as And Yet the Town Moves<\/em>, this series has stubbornly defied my every attempt at placing it into a single genre. It takes the quirky employees of a sleepy maid caf\u00e9, adds in their friends and acquaintances from around town, and then proceeds to do WHATEVER THE HELL IT WANTS. One chapter will have the heroine visiting the afterlife during a near-death experience, and the next will have her making a late-night trip to a convenience store with her little brother. Slow-paced musings on everyday life mingle freely with stories that wouldn\u2019t be out of place in The Twilight Zone<\/em>, and somehow it all works. SoreMachi<\/em> is clever, observant, and completely bonkers. If you\u2019re looking for a change of pace from whatever you\u2019re currently reading, I guarantee it fits the bill.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Kawaii Overthink is written by Paul Jensen. You can follow his ramblings about anime and manga on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>. Check back every Wednesday for new articles.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s been around half a year since the anime simulcast website Crunchyroll expanded into the realm of digital manga distribution. In that time, the company\u2019s stable of titles has slowly grown to include several dozen titles from a variety of genres. Now that the program has had some time to expand and refine itself, it [Read more…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1163"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1167,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163\/revisions\/1167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/p>\n
For the school comedy fan: Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/a><\/p>\nThe basic premise of Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches<\/em> is fairly standard as far as the genre goes. Tough guy meets smart girl, supernatural plot device forces them to work together, they end up falling in love while unraveling the school\u2019s magical secrets with a supporting cast of goofballs. Seven Witches<\/em> may use plenty of tried-and-true elements, but it uses them well. The jokes are funny, the witch powers are clever, and the occasional bits of drama ring true. While some members of the ever-expanding cast can be a bit irritating, the series does a good job of exploring what would happen if you gave a bunch of awkward teenagers supernatural abilities. Seven Witches<\/em> also gets bonus points for having all of its hundred-plus chapters up and ready to be read. I\u2019m looking at you, as-yet-untranslated chapters of Arpeggio of Blue Steel<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
For the (slightly) older reader: Space Brothers<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/a><\/p>\nPlucky teenage heroes are fine, but those of us old enough to buy our own beer occasionally yearn for a story with characters closer to our own age. Enter Space Brothers<\/em>, one of my favorite manga and anime series in recent memory. The ensemble cast of astronauts, engineers, and instructors spans a wide age range, as does the series\u2019 appeal. Plenty of manga creators set their work in space, but few treat it with the same sort of reverence that you see in each chapter of Space Brothers<\/em>. It brings you into the everyday work that goes into space exploration, simultaneously making it all seem both relatable and extraordinary. I don\u2019t even care that the main character has gone over two hundred chapters without making it off of Earth. Each story Space Brothers<\/em> has told has been both intellectually stimulating and emotionally powerful. I cannot recommend this series highly enough. Go read it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
For the teenage drama fan: A Silent Voice<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/a><\/p>\nOne of Crunchyroll\u2019s newer acquisitions, A Silent Voice<\/em> is the kind of series that makes no attempt to be restrained or subtle in its presentation. Instead, it walks right up and punches you in the face with its characters\u2019 emotions. The lead character is a high school student faced with the ongoing consequences of some pretty terrible past decisions. We learn how he bullied a deaf classmate in grade school, and how his reputation has left him ostracized by everyone around him. His guilt and desire to atone lead him to track down his former victim, launching a story that hits hard and often on an emotional level. A Silent Voice<\/em> presents us with some very compelling, very flawed characters and challenges us to follow their journeys of redemption and forgiveness. It\u2019s not always an easy read, but it is perhaps an important one.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
For the artsy-fartsy manga snob (Hey, that\u2019s me!): Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/a><\/h3>\nYou know it\u2019s an unusual series when the publishers don\u2019t bother to use an English version of the title. Frequently translated as And Yet the Town Moves<\/em>, this series has stubbornly defied my every attempt at placing it into a single genre. It takes the quirky employees of a sleepy maid caf\u00e9, adds in their friends and acquaintances from around town, and then proceeds to do WHATEVER THE HELL IT WANTS. One chapter will have the heroine visiting the afterlife during a near-death experience, and the next will have her making a late-night trip to a convenience store with her little brother. Slow-paced musings on everyday life mingle freely with stories that wouldn\u2019t be out of place in The Twilight Zone<\/em>, and somehow it all works. SoreMachi<\/em> is clever, observant, and completely bonkers. If you\u2019re looking for a change of pace from whatever you\u2019re currently reading, I guarantee it fits the bill.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Kawaii Overthink is written by Paul Jensen. You can follow his ramblings about anime and manga on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>. Check back every Wednesday for new articles.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s been around half a year since the anime simulcast website Crunchyroll expanded into the realm of digital manga distribution. In that time, the company\u2019s stable of titles has slowly grown to include several dozen titles from a variety of genres. Now that the program has had some time to expand and refine itself, it [Read more…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1163"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1167,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163\/revisions\/1167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/a><\/p>\nThe basic premise of Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches<\/em> is fairly standard as far as the genre goes. Tough guy meets smart girl, supernatural plot device forces them to work together, they end up falling in love while unraveling the school\u2019s magical secrets with a supporting cast of goofballs. Seven Witches<\/em> may use plenty of tried-and-true elements, but it uses them well. The jokes are funny, the witch powers are clever, and the occasional bits of drama ring true. While some members of the ever-expanding cast can be a bit irritating, the series does a good job of exploring what would happen if you gave a bunch of awkward teenagers supernatural abilities. Seven Witches<\/em> also gets bonus points for having all of its hundred-plus chapters up and ready to be read. I\u2019m looking at you, as-yet-untranslated chapters of Arpeggio of Blue Steel<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Plucky teenage heroes are fine, but those of us old enough to buy our own beer occasionally yearn for a story with characters closer to our own age. Enter Space Brothers<\/em>, one of my favorite manga and anime series in recent memory. The ensemble cast of astronauts, engineers, and instructors spans a wide age range, as does the series\u2019 appeal. Plenty of manga creators set their work in space, but few treat it with the same sort of reverence that you see in each chapter of Space Brothers<\/em>. It brings you into the everyday work that goes into space exploration, simultaneously making it all seem both relatable and extraordinary. I don\u2019t even care that the main character has gone over two hundred chapters without making it off of Earth. Each story Space Brothers<\/em> has told has been both intellectually stimulating and emotionally powerful. I cannot recommend this series highly enough. Go read it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of Crunchyroll\u2019s newer acquisitions, A Silent Voice<\/em> is the kind of series that makes no attempt to be restrained or subtle in its presentation. Instead, it walks right up and punches you in the face with its characters\u2019 emotions. The lead character is a high school student faced with the ongoing consequences of some pretty terrible past decisions. We learn how he bullied a deaf classmate in grade school, and how his reputation has left him ostracized by everyone around him. His guilt and desire to atone lead him to track down his former victim, launching a story that hits hard and often on an emotional level. A Silent Voice<\/em> presents us with some very compelling, very flawed characters and challenges us to follow their journeys of redemption and forgiveness. It\u2019s not always an easy read, but it is perhaps an important one.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You know it\u2019s an unusual series when the publishers don\u2019t bother to use an English version of the title. Frequently translated as And Yet the Town Moves<\/em>, this series has stubbornly defied my every attempt at placing it into a single genre. It takes the quirky employees of a sleepy maid caf\u00e9, adds in their friends and acquaintances from around town, and then proceeds to do WHATEVER THE HELL IT WANTS. One chapter will have the heroine visiting the afterlife during a near-death experience, and the next will have her making a late-night trip to a convenience store with her little brother. Slow-paced musings on everyday life mingle freely with stories that wouldn\u2019t be out of place in The Twilight Zone<\/em>, and somehow it all works. SoreMachi<\/em> is clever, observant, and completely bonkers. If you\u2019re looking for a change of pace from whatever you\u2019re currently reading, I guarantee it fits the bill.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kawaii Overthink is written by Paul Jensen. You can follow his ramblings about anime and manga on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>. Check back every Wednesday for new articles.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s been around half a year since the anime simulcast website Crunchyroll expanded into the realm of digital manga distribution. In that time, the company\u2019s stable of titles has slowly grown to include several dozen titles from a variety of genres. Now that the program has had some time to expand and refine itself, it [Read more…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1163"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1167,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163\/revisions\/1167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}For the (slightly) older reader: Space Brothers<\/em><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nFor the teenage drama fan: A Silent Voice<\/em><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nFor the artsy-fartsy manga snob (Hey, that\u2019s me!): Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru<\/em><\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/h3>\n