My Epic Year of Manga: Best of 2013

So every year I do a reading challenge on Goodreads. Not only does it help me keep track of what I'm reading and encourage me to continue reading, it's also a whole lot of fun. I read a lot of manga so this year I challenged myself to read 250 books with the understanding that at least half of that number would be manga.

In reality I read 224 volumes of manga, across 24 series, and 33 books in 2013 for a grand total of 257 books and 51,012 pages. To put this in perspective in 2012 I read a total of 181 books with only 105 volumes of manga, across 14 series, and 43,266 pages. I more than doubled the volumes of manga I read and increased the number of series I read in as well. In addition to all the manga I've been reading I've also watched a ridiculous amount of anime and Korean, Taiwanese and Japanese dramas.

Following are my best picks for manga, books, anime and dramas I read or watched in 2013. Most of the manga and anime will probably eventually get full posts later in the year if they don't already have one.

My Best Manga Reads of 2013

High School Debut by Kazune Kawahara:  I laughed so much while reading this series! Haruna's naivete and determination make her an enduring character. The chemistry between Yoh and Haruna is beautiful and the care they take with each other heartwarming. The ending is perfect without feeling contrived.

Kimi ni Todoke by Karuho Shiina:  While the pacing of this series is slower than I usually like, the characters and story more than make up for it. Sawako and Kazehaya are one of my favorite couples, seeming so different yet being more alike than even they realize. The friendships formed in this series seem real and steadfast.

Strobe Edge by Io Sakisaka:  This is another series with slow pacing, but the story is absolutely beautiful. There is so much emotion and longing in this series along with believable and relateable characters. It has some of the best bonus stories and stand alone stories included at the end of each volume as well.

We Were There by Yuuki Obata:  This series will make you feel all the feels. It's more than just a love story and goes beyond high school crushes. It explores how guilt can create obligation and the tug of war desire and obligation have with each other. A wonderful series and an inspiring ending.

Venus Capriccio by Mai Nishikata:  I love how the series explores gender roles while creating two unique characters that will stay with you long after you've finished the series. The last volume isn't published in English so I read the fan translations. While I appreciate these translations, different translators can change the intention of a piece as some of the process is subjective. The last volume wasn't as good as the others, but I have no way of knowing if it's the translation or the story.

My Best Book Reads of 2013

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell:  This book is moving and the story crafting is perfect. It's a little edgy with some truly swoon worthy dialogue. A beautiful read and I highly recommend it.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline:  I loved this book! There's action, suspense and even a little romance. The world building is top notch and the 80's, science fiction and nerd culture references are not only entertaining, but integral to this world and plot.

Dare You To by Katie McGarry:  This was one of those sequels I put off picking up. I was nervous because the pairing wasn't what I expected after reading Pushing the Limits. However, the author knew what she was doing and the chemistry between Beth and Ryan was perfect. While I disliked Beth in the first book, by the end of this she became my favorite character. She's a vulnerable yet strong female lead who one can't help but admire. The series deals with real world issues and makes no apologies. Great book, great series!

My Best Anime Finds of 2013

Say I Love You:  The characters in this series are fleshed out. They're flawed and at times even broken, but they aren't flat. I love that the story doesn't leave an antagonist as only a villain. They have back stories and they actually grow like individuals do. A really well done series.

Princess Jellyfish:  This series is delightful and revolves around a group of girl otakus as they try to save their apartment with the unlikely help of a gorgeous woman, who turns out to be a crossdressing hottie. There were times when I teared up while watching this series and other times when I was laughing hysterically. Seeing these awkward girls slowly come into their own is just lovely. And the friendship (hoping it will become more) between Tsukimi and Kuranosuke is playful and sweet.

Kimi ni Todoke:  So I really love Kimi ni Todoke! The anime is just as well written as the manga series. I love watching Sawako start to make connections with other people. This series has some of the best supporting characters as well. I love how important friendship is in this series. The romance between Sawako and Kazehaya is delicate and wistful. I have so much love for this series!

Baccano!:  Not my usual type of anime, but I found this after watching hours of videos on Anime Freak's YouTube channel. The plot of this series is unique and the pacing helps set the lively tone of the series. While there is violence, it's not needlessly so. The characters are fun and some are just flat out deranged. My favorite character is Claire, closely followed by Isaac and Miria. Claire for his unequivocal approach to life and Isaac and Miria for their joie de vivre.

Skip Beat!:  Skip Beat! is an anime that I have re-watched several times this past year. This premise of this series is ludicrous in the best possible way, but still retains sincerity at its core. The characters are well done, even those I don't like. I hate that it only has one season.

My Best Drama Finds of 2013

Boys Over Flowers:  This K-Drama is over the top as only K-Dramas can be. I binged on the complete series in a week's time. No matter how outlandish the situation I was incredibly entertained. It's a kind of Cinderella story, but with near rape and meddling mothers. I might have been the only one of my friends that didn't want Jan-di and Jun-pyo to get together. I grew to be okay with the pairing by the end of the series, but I paired her with Hyun-joong even if it was useless.

It Started With a Kiss:  This is another drama (Taiwanese this time) where the jerk ends up with the girl. Of course this might be like 80% of television dramas so I can't really complain. Regardless of the fact that he's kind of a jerk and she's kind of stupid, I really liked the series. It was fun and at times super melodramatic, but well worth watching. I tried watching the Korean version, Playful Kiss, and couldn't get into it. It was too fanciful.

High School Debut::  I suppose that technically this is a Japanese film and not a television drama, but it's close enough that I'm including it. The film takes most of the seriousness out of the manga series and focuses on its comedic aspects. Have you ever watched something that was so terrible that it was funny? That's the best way to describe it. There are giant pencils, dancing santas (like over twenty of them), prat falls and a mini mall concert that is interrupted in the most hilarious way. There's no way you can watch this adapatation and not laugh and cringe at the same time.

Xxxholic by CLAMP

Title: Xxxholic
Author: CLAMP
Volumes: 19 (completed)
Volumes (English): 19 (completed)


Watanuki Kimihiro is haunted by visions of ghosts and spirits. Seemingly by chance, he encounters a mysterious witch named Yuuko, who claims she can help. In desperation, he accepts, but realizes that he’s just been tricked into working for Yuuko in order to pay off the cost of her services. Soon he’s employed in her little shop—a job which turns out to be nothing like his previous work experience!

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For the cliff notes version, skip to the bottom of the page for final thoughts.

What can I say about Xxxholic? Seriously, what can you say about a series that takes it in equal turns hurting your heart and mind? This is a series that will take you through a range of emotions, one moment laughing and in the next crying uncontrollably. This series is a crossover with its companion series Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. While many of the same themes are present in both series, Xxxholic is the darker of the two.

There is an atmosphere of languid mystery surrounding Yuko, the Time Witch, and her very unusual shop. Watanuki trades his servitude to the Time Witch for relief from the spirits that constantly hound him. From this agreement several absurd and even eerie events unfold. For most of the series Watanuki acts as comic relief, especially while interacting with Doumeki and Yuko. For all of his hamming he also has a naive earnestness that lends the series some of its more poignant moments.

Working for Yuko brings Watanuki into contact with a host of unforgettable characters. My favorite character is Doumeki. Doumeki is Watanuki's opposite in most ways. He's completely calm and unflappable regardless of the situation. He's also incredibly comfortable with himself. He's a true friend and devoted to Watanuki even as Watanuki, out of jealousy, denies their connection and friendship during most of the series.


A pivotal moment in the growth of their friendship is in volume 7 (Spider (Spiderweb) in the anime) when Watanuki sacrifices his right eye to restore Doumeki's eyesight. In return Doumeki shares the sight in his right eye with Watanuki. (At this point their friendship is pretty much sealed, regardless of Watanuki's protestations.) Watching the progression of their friendship is one of the more satisfying elements of Xxxholic. While the ending of the series is jolting, you never doubt the rightness of their friendship and the depth of feeling between them.


Yuko is perhaps the most intriguing character in the series. She's cloaked in mystery that none of the other characters are able to fully see through. She's crude, sexy and outrageous at times, but she has a quiet dignity that comes across when she's performing her Time Witch duties. Her story arc is one of my favorites in the series. Of course the majority of her arc is unveiled in the last few volumes.
[VIEW SPOILER]

[Xxxholic's overall ending left me feeling cheated, confused, heartbroken, dissatisfied and maybe just a little awed. Yuko's ending is quite satisfying however. Her revealed back story is both romantic and compelling. The best part is that even when the big reveal happens CLAMP doesn't reveal all, still maintaining an aura of mystery.]

Himawari is the character I like least. She's not a fully developed character and her primary purpose in the series is to act as Watanuki's unrequited crush and cause friction between Doumeki and Watanuki. She's not a terrible character; she just doesn't really add to the series. [VIEW SPOILER]

[She does lend a bit of tragedy to the events surrounding Watanuki's ultimate decision to replace Yuko and remain in the shop indefinitely. Otherwise she's an forgettable character.]

The premise of the series is that people visit the shop to have their deepest wishes and desires granted. As the Time Witch would say:

"For everything you wish, you have to pay an equal price in return. You can't get more or give more. You can't get less or give less. It must be in balance, or else there will be chaos."

This leads to some interesting consequences for the shop's patrons. My favorite story is in volume 7 (Atonement in the anime) and involves a photograph. Like photographs in the Harry Potter universe, this photograph has captured a moment in time and the people in the picture are moving. Unlike Harry Potter, the moment caught in the photograph is both sinister and disturbing. The consequences from this wish is not only just, but diabolically clever.

While I loved the ending of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, Xxxholic's ending left me feeling uncertain. [VIEW MAJOR SPOILERS - SERIOUSLY FUCKING MAJOR SPOILERS]

[I loved Tsubasa's ending! Even with the atypical ending, it's essentially a happy ending with everyone remaining together (or at least with easy access to each other). Xxxholic's ending transcends time and generations. In the last volume you realize that most of the characters you grew to care about are dead and gone (in Tsubasa, as well as Xxxholic, which makes it doubly horrifying). Watanuki is the only major character still alive and he's spending his life waiting for something that's never going to happen. We then discover that generations of Doumeki's family are in this codependent relationship with him. While in one sense it's touching that Doumeki's depth of devotion and feelings endured even after death, it's also an unhealthy situation for all parties.

It's bad enough that as you're reading the last volume it gets progressively more depressing as everyone around Watanuki is aging and moving on with their lives; Himawari is married, Doumeki is starting a family with Kohane. The worst though is when it's revealed in the last chapter that Watanuki has been conversing with Doumeki's great grandson. At that point I had to re-read the last volume to determine when Doumeki exited the narrative and his decedents took his place. The ending is powerful, but not at all satisfying. Especially for someone who likes happy endings.]

Final Thoughts

Xxxholic has a well crafted intricate story and has a dramatic artistic style. The chapters range from the haunting to the surreal with a little creepy thrown in for effect. I recommend reading Xxxholic and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle together. While you could read one series without reading the other, each compliments and enriches the other. There are other CLAMP series tied in with these series, but you don't have to read them to enjoy Xxxholic and Tsubasa. The obvious one is Cardcaptor Sakura, but you may want to checkout some of their other works like Chobits, RG Veda, Magic Knight Rayearth and Tokyo Babylon. (This is by no means the entire list.)

If you liked Xxxholic, you may also like Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, Library Wars, Black Butler, Death Note and Orphen.

Follow Amy Gideon's board CLAMP on Pinterest.

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle by CLAMP

Title: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Author: CLAMP
Volumes: 28 (completed)
Volumes (English): 28 (completed)

Sakura is the princess of Clow - and possessor of a mysterious, misunderstood power that promises to change the world. Syaoran is her childhood friend and leader of the archaeological dig that took his father's life. They reside in an alternate reality...where whatever you least expect can happen - and does. When Sakura ventures to the dig site to declare her love for Syaoran, a puzzling symbol is uncovered - which triggers a remarkable quest. Now Syaoran embarks upon a desperate journey through other worlds - all in the name of saving Sakura.

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Skip to the bottom of the page for final thoughts.

CLAMP is notorious for creating a story that will fuck with your mind and wrench your heart strings before tearing out the weeping organ, using it as a sponge to mop up your tears only to shove it back in your chest to repeat the process again in the next volume. Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, along with its companion series Xxxholic, is the crowning achievement of this process.


Tsubasa has one of the most complex story lines I've come across in a manga series, even without adding in Xxxholic. While the driving force moving the plot, collecting Sakura's memories (in the form of feathers), is simple enough the relationships and character development are quite complex and involved. The world building is epic, spanning several alternate worlds and uniting CLAMP's beloved characters from previous series together. If you've read Xxxholic, Cardcaptor Sakura, X, Chobits, Tokyo Babylon or Magic Knight Rayearth, many of the characters will be familiar to you even as their situations or personalities may be new to you.

The central story follows Sakura, Syaoran, Fai, Kurogane and Mokona as they travel through several dimensions to collect Sakura's memories. What starts out as strangers being thrown together by happenstance, or as the Space-Time Witch would say "Hitsuzen", the relationships that these characters forge during their travels is enduring.

Syaoran's selfless love for Sakura is bittersweet. With every feather collected, Sakura's memories of Syaoran are lost forever. His willingness to continue the quest regardless of his own pain as his past is forever severed from Sakura's is tragically beautiful. During the quest, Sakura's growing feelings for a Syaoran she no longer knows is endearing. The optimism in this relationship, that love will win out, has a kind of innocent hope that leaves one remembering first loves.  

The friendship between Fai and Kurogane is a mixture of playfulness and faithfulness. There's a self sacrificing element to this relationship as well. Both of them are willing to sacrifice for the other, Kurogane his arm and Fai his magic. They begin to depend on each other further cementing their friendship. For Fai, this is a difficult process as he has a past he's concealing and running from. Fai is my favorite character and without Kurogane he wouldn't have been nearly as interesting. Part of Fai is Kurogane and vice versa.

There are some crazy plot twists, which goes back to CLAMP fucking with your mind, that leaves you asking yourself what just happened? I won't go into the details, because I wouldn't want to ruin the series for anyone, [VIEW MAJOR SPOILER AT YOUR OWN RISK]

[and really how do you explain the plethora of Syaorans, Watanuki's realationship with Syaoran and Sakura, or the Clow Reed connection to all of them without people thinking you're mad?]

but the last few volumes are especially thrilling and just plain entertaining. You won't be able to put it down until the very end. 

Speaking of the ending, I loved it! It's not a typical ending, but it's satisfying. (The opposite of Xxxholic's ending, which while atypical, is not at all satisfying.) Tsubasa's ending plays a pivotal role in Xxxholic's ending, especially with regards to Watanuki. (More on that in my Xxxholic post.) [VIEW SPOILER]

[I love how choice plays an important role in the ending of both of these series. Syaoran's choice to continue traveling, and Watanuki's choice to never leave is powerful. I also love that Syaoran, Fai and Kurogane decide to continue to travel together. There's a bond that won't be broken. At the same time they have direct access to Sakura's dimension, so that they can visit anytime. It reminds me of Star Trek the Next Generation (my nerd is showing). At the end of TNG you knew they'd be friends forever, and that's what you get from the ending of Tsubasa. Friendship and love triumph. It's a beautiful way to end the series.]

 

The artwork in Tsubasa is beautiful, as all of CLAMP's artwork is. I love how their wardrobe changes to conform to each new world they visit. I especially love the Goth/BDSM look they have during the Infinity arc.

My favorite world has to be Infinity, where Sakura becomes a Chess Master and Syaoran, Fai and Kurogane are living pieces who have to fight to the death. A close second, is the ruined city of Tokyo. Part of it is that I really like post apocalyptic stories, but I also think this had one of the best story arcs in the series and some of the best secondary characters. (The vampire brothers were especially interesting.)


One disappointment I have with Tsubasa, is Chi's role. (Chi is a character from CLAMP's Chobits.) In both series she isn't truly alive, rather she's an automaton, in Chobits from technology and in Tsubasa from Fai's magic. I think my disappointment stems from my wanting her to be truly alive. Something I wanted when reading Chobits and hoped for in Tsubasa when she made a brief appearance.

Final Thoughts

I love this series and I recommend reading Tsubasa and Xxxholic together, especially the later volumes. I wouldn't read Cardcaptor Sakura first, if you're over the age of twelve, as it might put you off of CLAMP entirely. I read Cardcaptor after Tsubasa and Xxxholic and I think I would never have read them if my only experience with CLAMP, as an adult, had been Cardcaptor Sakura.

People who like Kimi ni Todoke, One Piece, Bleach, or Pandora Hearts would like Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.

Black Bird by Kanoko Sakurakouji

Title: Black Bird
Author: Kanoko Sakurakouji
Volumes: 18
Volumes (English): 17 (ongoing)

He loves her blood, but does her love her?! There is a world of myth and magic that intersects ours, and only a special few can see it. Misao Harada is one such person, and she wants nothing to do with magical realms. She just wants to have a normal high school life and maybe get a boyfriend. All that changes one day when Misao is attacked by a demon. Her childhood friend Kyo suddenly returns to save her and tend to her cuts--with his tongue! It turns out Misao is the bride of prophecy, whose blood gives power to the demon clan who claims her. But most demons want to keep her power for themselves--by eating her! Now Misao is just trying to stay alive...and decide if she likes it when Kyo licks her wounds.

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This is a lot to be getting on with. Skip to the bottom for final thoughts.

Please note that this review refers to volumes 1-16. An update will be added once I read volume 17.

So I hate myself for continuing to read this series, even more so for still kind of liking it. The best way to describe this series might be Twilight on crack. No wait; make that Fifty Shades on crack. Black Bird is a sort of love triangle between Misau, a human girl whose blood is a magnet for demons, and two demon brothers, Kyo whose courtship consists of stalking and threatening Misau into loving him, and Sho, who is a sadistic would be rapist that doesn't seem to even like Misau, but wants the power her blood can give him. With two such compelling heroes, what's a girl to do?

If you're Misau you spend most of your time alternating between thinking about Kyo, feeling threatened by Kyo, being felt up by Kyo, crying over Kyo, enduring multiple kidnappings from Kyo's friends and family, fending off Sho's rapist advances, crying for Sho's sociopath tendencies and worrying about Kyo and her role as the Senka Maiden. My main complaint with Misau is she's a damsel and this seems to be the primary way the plot is moved forward.

I don't think there is one volume in which Misau isn't being rescued by someone or crying over any given situation. Actually I'm being unfair, she's not a damsel even once in volume four. Of course by volume five she's firmly a damsel again, complete with abduction and chains.

As the story progresses I also find myself annoyed with how wrapped up Misau is in Kyo. She rearranges her life to revolve around him. At sixteen years old she cannot conceive a future beyond being Kyo's wife [View Spoiler]

[and mother to his unborn child.]

She sees herself as an "empty shell" that can only be filled by Kyo! (In more ways the one I'm sure.)


I'm all for women who choose to be a wife and mother first and I don't think that their job is less worthy than someone pursuing a career outside of the home. What I do find sad is when a sixteen year old girl literally has no dreams outside of her boyfriend. I don't care if it's her destiny and it moves the plot along - it's still depressing. I want more from my heroines.

As for Kyo...he's kind of a douche canoe, who becomes less so in the later volumes, but still doesn't relinquish his douche canoe status. He's the dominant personality in their relationship and is not only possessive and controlling but borderline sadistic as well. For example, knowing that Misau is terrified of flying, he not only forces her to fly with him, but he then threatens to drop her mid flight. And this is early in the relationship when he is still courting her. It's kind of fucked up. Of course it's more fucked up that he actually wins the girl. (That in and of itself says a lot about Misau.)


I don't care for Sho either, but of course you're not really supposed to. There is literally nothing redeeming about this character and yet Misau has a difficult time sorting out her feelings for him. His sole purpose in the series consists of abducting and terrorizing Misau as well as wooing her with attempted rape. He's so evil that his character falls flat and doesn't have the depth as some of the other characters. Basically he's boring in his villainy. [View Spoiler]

[I was happy the first time he died, I was more than ready for the Sho arc to end, and then she brings him back! I might have thrown my volume across the room at his resurrection.]

My favorite part of the series is the eight daitengu. They are way more interesting than anything else going on in the series. I find that my favorite volumes are those that delve into their pasts or focuses on their motives. I especially like Hoki's story line. He's not your typical hero, in fact I'm not sure if "hero" is an accurate description for him, but he is interesting in his flaws. Much more so than the characters of the main story line.

The artwork in Black Bird is beautiful, especially the full color covers. While the plot is full of overdone cliches and mediocrity the artwork is top notch. It's a shame that most of it is wasted on Misau and Kyo.

Final Thoughts

Even as the plot becomes more outrageous and melodramatic, to the point of outright laughter, I still find the story and some of the characters engaging. (The secondary characters more so than the primary ones.) I don't care for the Kyo or Misau and I'm invested just enough in the series that I want to see how it ends. [View Spoiler]

[While I'm pretty sure Misau and her demon baby will survive I want to know for sure that I'm correct. At heart I'm a romantic and I want a happy ending, even for characters I don't particularly care about.]

I wouldn't recommend this series to most people. I think if you like BDSM literature, like Fifty Shades and Sylvia Day, and haven't read any manga this is a good gateway series into this format. I also recommend this series to fantasy readers of Demon Love Spell, MeruPuri and Two Flowers for the Dragon and contemporary readers of We Were There, Love Com, Strobe Edge and Sand Chronicles.