By Mat K.
Why is this week so awesome? Well, it is the first week of February and Viz has decided its time once again to avalanche us with titles. And I mean that in a good way. First and foremost, Naruto Volume 47 is here, and you know you fans have been fiending for it. Pain is attacking Konoha and they’ve taken heavy damages. The toads are doing the best they can but it won’t be enough. Even Toad Sage Naruto can’t handle all the death and destruction, and no one can tell if it’s for better or worse when one more death causes him to sprout 8 out of his 9 demon tails.
The next heavy hitter coming in this week is Berserk Volume 33, as well as D Gray Man Volume 16, Knights Of The Zodiac (Saint Seiya) Volume 28 out of nowhere, and Pokemon Adventures Volume 5. And behold, its that time of the month for another 5 straight issues of One Piece. This week sees Volumes 29, 30, 31, 32, and 33 ending the Skypeia arc and beginning the Water Seven arc By the time Shonen Jump is done spitting out these One Piece books, it will officially surpass Naruto as the most amount of single issues on our shelves.
And amidst all the shonen books this week premiers a certain title called Ultimo. In case you thought Stan Lee was satisfied with his position in American comics, you are wrong. Conceived by Stan Lee himself but written and drawn by Hiroyuki Takei, (and painted by someone named Bob), Ultimo is the story of the Karakuri Doji who were created by Dr. Dunstan to see which is stronger: Ultimate Good or Ultimate Evil. Ultimo and Vice lead the charges in the biggest galactic war between good and evil ever. And the fate of time and space hang in the balance. How’s that for some drama?
Now it’s not just about the boys. Shojo Beat has quite a bit hitting the stacks as well, The best of which being Vampire Knight Volume 9. There will also be Otomen Volume 5, Magic Touch Volume 6, B.O.D.Y. Volume 8 and plenty more, but there is one new series by an old favorite that’s full of sweet romance. Yun Kouga’s Crown Of Love premiers and tells the story of Hisayoshi, a boy who didn’t care for love until he bumps into a teen idol named Rima, and he can’t get her out of his head. It’s very “Lifetime-movie-of-the-week” I know, but some people just need romance in their lives.
Obviously there are a million more books coming in, and no, they’re not all Viz (although a hell of alot of them are), so there is definitely stuff calling out your name this week no matter what you are in to. I’m going to make one last announcement about a video game that kicks amazing butt, Tatsunoko Vs Capcom. Who is Tatsunoko, you may ask? The animation studio behind Gatchaman, Tekkaman (and Tekkaman Blade), Gold Lightan, Yatterman, Karas, Casshan The Robot Hunter, and every other classic action anime you know you love. Tis awesome. See you next time!
Ja Ne!
