The Way of the House Husband by Kousuke Oono

He was the fiercest Yakuza member that was feared by all other Yakuza.  They called him the Immortal Dragon. 

Then he disappeared. 

Now he is a simple house husband -- preparing meals, cleaning the house, and shopping for bargains.


This is the first volume in the manga series.  The stories are episodic and self-contained.  The first volume also contains several bonus stories about side characters from the series.

 

The Daily Lives of High School Boys, v. 1 by Yasunobu Yamauchi

 

Tadakuni, Yoshitake, and Hidenori are three friends that attend an all boys school.  These are their adventures -- talking about girls, telling scary stories, going to the beach, and more.

This is a great slice-of-life manga series featuring boys and their friendship.  This would be a great series for both teen boys and girls.

I Had That Same Dream Again by Yoru Sumino & Idumi Kirihara

 

Nanoka doesn't have too many friends.  She does have three though -- a high schooler who harms herself, a young woman who turned her back on life and had society turn away from her, and an old woman who lives alone.  Through visits with these three different friends, Nanoka answers her question of what is happiness.

This was a very interesting manga.  Nanoka grows a lot as a character throughout the story.  Her interactions with her three friends and eventually a boy from school change her life in many ways.  This is a haunting read for teens that like to think deep thoughts and consider their place in the world.

5 Centimeters per Second by Makoto Shinkai

Tohno and Araki become friends in middle school.  They are inseparable until Araki has to move away just before high school.  Both harbor feelings for each other and promise they will stay in touch.  Then Tohno moves to a small island where fellow classmate Sumida falls in love with him.  But Tohno is unable to move on from his feelings from Araki even though they have long lost touch.  Will any of them ever find their place in the world and who they belong with?

This manga is based upon the award winning manga film.  The characters draw you into the story so that you root for them to find their ways.

I Want to Eat Your Pancreas by Yoru Sumino

An introverted high school boy discovers the secret of his popular classmate Sakura --  she is dying of pancreatic cancer.  He is the only one outside of her family who knows the truth.  The last thing he wants is to become her friend but Sakura's cheerful attitude draws him in . . .



This is a great manga series.  The relationship between the two friends is interesting.  The boy's character growth is believable.  I would recommend this to fans of realistic manga stories.

Nameless Asterism series by Kina Kobayashi

Tsukasa, Washio, and Kotooka are best friends in middle school.  They do everything together.

But they all have secrets.

Tsukasa has a crush on Washio.
Washio is in love with Kotooka.
And neither of them know that Kotooka knows both of their secrets.

Will their friendship overcome all these secrets and feelings?



This is a great manga series by Kina Kobayashi.  The characters are all interesting -- including the side characters of Tsukasa's twin Subaru and her possible love interest Asakura.  With only five volumes the series is short and sweet.  I would recommend this series to those who enjoy friendship stories or romances.

Frau Faust series by Kore Yamazaki

The legend of Dr. Faust who made a deal with the demon Mephistopheles is famous throughout the land.  What people don't realize is that Dr. Faust was really a woman Johanna.  Now she is searching for the pieces of Mephistopheles who has been dismembered with his various body parts hidden away by the church.


This is an excellent manga series for teens.  It shares the story though the viewpoint of teen Marion who decides to travel with Johanna after she rescues him from a life of crime.  The story moves quickly in only five volumes.  Try this series if you enjoyed Bungo Stray Dogs or The Ancient Magus' Bride.

Sweetness & Lightning series by Gido Amagakure

Teach Kouhei Inuzuka is doing the best he can since his wife died trying to raise his young daughter Tsumugi as a single father.  Unfortunately, he's a failure at cooking.  Then a chance encounter with one of his students Kotori brings him the opportunity to learn how to cook.  Now they're working together to figure out how to make delicious food for Tsumugi and themselves.

This is a slice-of-life manga series that would be enjoyed by those with an interest in cooking.  Each chapter includes a recipe of one of the dishes they attempted to cook in that chapter.

Barakamon series by Satsuki Yoshino

Seishuu Handa is a young calligrapher who moves himself to an isolated, rural island to focus on his work.  Unfortunately, the local residents are not letting him do that.  The head chief constantly interrupts him to talk as does the school headmaster.  But the worst is the young girl Naru who believes his house is her base of play.

While the main character Handa is 23 years old, he comes across as a teenager in his awkwardness in dealing with other people.  He wants to be alone to focus on his work and yet keeps getting involved in the his neighbors.  I would recommend this manga series for older teens in interest.

Fruits Basket Another by Natsuki Takaya

Sawa Mitoma keeps her head down and doesn't interact with anyone . . . until her first day of high school when she meets Mutsuki and Hajime of the Sohma family.  Now they're doing their best to open her up and include her in their crazy family activities.


This is the first book in a sequel series to the popular Fruits Basket manga.  It is great fun revisiting the high school from Fruits Basket and figuring out how the new Sohma characters are related to the original Fruits Basket characters.  A definite must read for those who liked the first series.

The Royal Tutor series by Higasa Akai

Heine Wittgenstein has just accepted the prestigious position of royal tutor to the young princes of Granzreich.  Meet the four princes as Heine attempts to get them to accept him as their tutor.


This manga series is beautifully drawn.  The characters are all distinct in their personalities.  This is a great series for those who enjoy history or tales of royalty.

Dreamin' Sun series by Ichigo Takano

When Shimura Kameko runs away, she stumbles upon a strange man in the park.  He offers her a place to live on three conditions.

1.  Tell him the reason she ran away.
2.  Find his house key.
3.  Have a dream and fall in love.

Kameko quickly agrees to these terms and moves into a house that immediately feels like home.



This is a great manga series for those who enjoy plucky heroines who find their own way.  It reminded me of Kamisama Kiss or Fruits Baskets without the supernatural elements.  It's a fun, quick read great for teen girls.

Bungo Stray Dogs series by Kafka Asagiri

Atsushi Nakajima's existence has been bleak since being kicked out of the orphanage that's been his only home.  He's homeless, hungry and being chased by a supernatural tiger when he saves the life of a man trying to commit suicide. 

In thanks, he is given a job at the Armed Detective Agency.  The agency is staffed by individuals with supernatural powers that solve mysteries for the police and the government.  However, it seems that they're also in a fight against the Port Mafia . . .



This is a very interesting manga series.  The characters are based upon literary authors from around the world.  The powers the various characters possess are derived from those authors' works.  The characters are interesting and the mysteries intriguing.  Definitely a series worth checking out!

NIchijou: My Ordinary Life by Keiichi Arawi

Their school is just like yours -- except for the robot student built by a mad scientist.

They deal with normal problems like forgetting their homework -- except for the rogue deer fought off by the principal.

Yes, their school life is just like yours . . .





This manga series is a collection of short episodes in the life of several students at an "ordinary" Japanese high school.  The humorous stories are appropriate for all ages and would be a good pick for younger manga readers.

Kamisama Kiss series by Juliette Suzuki

Nanami Momozono is alone and homeless after her father runs away from the debt collectors and she is evicted from their apartment.  Luckily, she meets and helps a guy in the park who repays her by "giving" her his home.

When she finds the house in the country, she discovers that it is a shrine dedicated to matchmaking.  And she's unwittingly taken the place as the local deity of that shrine.

Now she must figure out her new responsibilities while dealing with a cranky familiar and dodging yokai who are out to steal her powers.



I recommend this comedic manga series to those who enjoyed Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya.  There are hints of romance mixed in with the comedy and supernatural elements of the story.

Orange by Ichigo Takano

On the first day of 11th grade, Naho receives a letter from her future self directing her to save the life of a Kakeru, new student at her school.  To her surprise, there is a new student that day who becomes a good friend.  Now, with the help of the letter and her friends she must somehow save Kakeru.

This was an unusual manga that was realistic with hints of the supernatural.  It deals with the very serious subjects of self-confidence, depression and suicide.  With only two volumes in the series, it is a quick read for those who like manga.

School-Live, v. 1 by Sadoru Chiba & Norimitsu Kaihou

Meet the members of the School Live Club!  There's shovel-loving Kurumi, big sister figure Yuuri, club advisor Megumi, and ever optimistic Yuki.  They're just your average after-school organization where the girls hang out, have fun . . . and live at school as the sole survivors of a zombie apocalypse.

This manga series definitely follows the dystopian trend of high school students surviving an apocalypse.  In this case, it is four girls trying to survive at their school after everyone else has been turned into zombies.  The first volume introduces the characters and their personalities.  It gives hints as to what has happened without revealing anything.  This would be a great series for those who like zombies, dystopian, or school stories.

Horimiya, v. 1 by Hero

At school, Kyouko Hori is pretty and popular, but at home she is a plain jane homebody.  On the other hand, her classmate Izumi Miyamura is known at school as a gloomy fanboy when he's really tattooed and pierced outside of school.  When these two meet outside of school a friendship is started -- a friendship where they keep each other's secrets about their true personalities.

This is a fun manga series about two odd duckling classmates that discover true friendship with each other.  This would be a great manga for anybody who enjoys realistic school and friendship stories.

Twin Star Exorcists by Yoshiaki Sukeno

Rokuro wants nothing to do with being an exorcist.  Benio's whole life is devoted to exorcism.  Then a prophecy reveals they are the Twin Star Exorcists, fated to marry and give birth to a baby who will become the most powerful exorcist of all time.  Too bad they absolutely can't stand each other.

This manga series does a great job of dropping enough intriguing hints to keep you wanting to read more without being annoying.  The artwork is very expressive.  You can nearly read the story simply in the body language of the characters.  This is a great series for teens.

My Favorite Christmas Books

With Christmas only a few days away, I thought I would share some of my favorite Christmas books with you . . .

Santa Duck by David Milgrim
When Nicholas Duck, wearing a Santa hat and coat he found on his doorstep, goes looking for Santa to tell him what he wants for Christmas, all the other animals mistake him for Mr. Claus.
A sweet story of Christmas cheer.

The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
On his eleventh birthday Will Stanton discovers that he is the last of the Old Ones, destined to seek the six magical Signs that will enable the Old Ones to triumph over the evil forces of the Dark.
While not a traditional Christmas book, the story does take place during the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany.

Sweet Rein series by Sakura Tsukuba
Sad at the thought of spending Christmas alone, Kurumi Sagara goes out for a walk. While she's crossing the street, a boy bumps into her, and a rein suddenly appears that binds them together. The overjoyed boy tells her she's his master and that she's a Santa Claus. Kurumi dismisses him as a crazy person, but then he transforms into a reindeer?!
A whole manga series based on an original Christmas myth.