Manga Mania, Week 2

Manga is a term used to describe comics and graphic novels created in Japan.  Since the boom of the United States' manga distribution in the mid to late 2000s, many series have found their home on our shelves.  And with so many titles to go through, Manga Mania is a 4-part series of articles where we go through a few titles for different age groups!  This week, we will start to cover titles aimed towards teen readers.  In particular, this list features stories that focus more on interpersonal relationships, romance, and drama.

A couple of things to consider when looking for the right manga--
1) Most manga titles are published in the original Japanese orientation.  What this means is the story will read right-to-left instead of left-to-right.  The best indicator of this is if the book looks "backwards," or if the cover is printed on what we would consider the back of a book.  Volumes will usually have a reading guide located in the back of the book (what we would consider to be the front) in case a reader needs assistance on where to begin reading.

2) Many publishing companies will include a rating on the back of the book to indicate the minimum age group a series would appeal to and reasons for the rating if needed.  It's like MPAA ratings, but for books.

So without further ado, let's get to the list!

D.N. Angel
Daisuke Niwa's family has a secret--when their sons reach a certain age and experience unrequited love, they are able to become the cat burglar Dark Mousy. And it's his turn to assume the persona and purloin precious pieces of art for the family business.

Fruits Basket
When Tohru Honda is taken in by the Sohma family after spending weeks in a tent, she discovers their secret curse and becomes involved in their lives, through better and worse.

Kamisama Kiss
Homeless youth Nanami jumps on a housing opportunity after saving a man from danger. This offer has a catch though--her new home is a shrine and she must take over the title and duties of a deity in order to live there!

Library Wars
Iku Kasahara has joined the Library Forces, a special organization formed to combat censorship! But training can be a nightmare when she's striving to achieve her dream job.

Ouran High School Host Club
The elite Ouran Academy has welcomed Haruhi Fujioka, a commoner whose grades granted a full scholarship. When a costly vase in the school's host club is broken, Haruhi must join them to clear away the debt. A lively story that pokes fun at the romance genre of manga.

Sand Chronicles
After moving to a rural area following her parents' divorce, Ann begins to adjust to the small-town life and depend on the kindness of her neighbors.

Are there any titles that interested you?  Are there others that you would want to add to the list?  Let us know in the comments and join us next week when we continue to cover manga titles for teens.

Thank you for reading!