By Mat K.
Okay, some good news this week for all of the squealing fan girls out there. As you might already know, we got the Hetalia Axis Powers anime in stock a couple weeks ago. Now you will be super thrilled to learn that now the manga is here. The book by Himaruya Hidekaz and brought to us by TokyoPop finally makes its debut in the states. This is one of those titles that you people have been begging me for way before they had plans to release them. I’m taking a second to remind people that just because it exists in Japan already, and you are watching or reading it online, does NOT mean that it is available in English (or for that matter, caught up with what you’ve been seeing in Japan). Seriously. But I digress.
Back to Hetalia. These hilarious 4-panel comic strips in which the world’s powers take on ridiculous stereotypes have finally made their English-language debut! During World War 1, gruff Germany finds Italy hiding in a wooden box of tomatoes. Germany takes Italy as prisoner, but instead of war-like interrogation, Italy becomes more of the nuisance and unwanted guest. World War I quickly comes to an end, but World War II is right on its heels! This time, Italy tries his best to become friends with Germany. They soon befriend Japan, and the three of them form the Axis Powers. Meanwhile, America, who loves heroism and hamburgers, tries to form a treaty, as Great Britain reminisces about when America was his loving child! World War Two was never this funny!
Another series makes a double debut this week that looks pretty interesting. Whats a double debut? Well, sometimes the manga gods deem it necessary to release two volumes of a book at the same time, in this case, the first two books, (other double debut books: Kobato, and Magic Lover’s Tower). This time it’s Demon Sacred by Natsumi Itsuki via TokyoPop. There is a sickness, named the Return Syndrome, that causes people to physically regress toward infancy until they simply disappear. If someone you loved became afflicted with it, would you give up? No! You’d do anything humanly possible to help them. You’d find a way to get someone inside the leading corporation researching a cure-the same company that seems suspiciously unwilling to share any knowledge it possesses about the sickness, even with its own workers. You might even reach beyond human means to help them. And when the inhuman comes in such gorgeous packaging, it might be hard to resist! Join Mona, K2, Rina, Mika and Shinobu as they fight against the Return Syndrome, dark company secrets, and enemies.
Anyway, there’s plenty of other stuff coming out this week, particularly from Tokyopop it seems. And I’m going to make one last mention for the gaming department: SCARS OF MIRRODIN IS HERE! Eat it up Magic fiends. Hehe. ‘Til next time!
