Sangatsu no Lion
- Creator: Chika Umino
- Publisher: Hakusensha
- Anthology: Young Animal (seinen)
- Volumes: 3 (ongoing)
- Expected Licensor: TOKYOPOP or VIZ Media
Officially called "March Comes In like a Lion" in English, but still unlicensed. Honey and Clover's Chica Umino is a huge draw for manga and anime fans alike thanks to the Honey and Clover and Eden of the East anime. Like H&C, it's a slice-of-life story-- but this time about a 17-year-old shougi player named Rei, and his almost only friends, a family of women who keep lots of cats.
The manga is published by Hakusensha, and TOKYOPOP and VIZ Media publish the most of their manga. I think TOKYOPOP might have a slightly better chance on this one, as they have a number of Young Animal titles-- Futari Ecchi, Yubisaki Milk Tea, Ai Yori Aoshi.
Suki tte Ii na Yo.
- Creator: Kanae Hazuki
- Publisher: Kodansha
- Anthology: Dessert (josei)
- Volumes: 3 (ongoing)
- Expected Licensor: Del Rey Manga
Title translates to roughly "It's okay to say I Love You" and revolves arounda 16-year-old girl with no friends-- but she does have a stalker. She then makes an accidental connection with the popular Yamato Kurosawa, who protects her from the stalker by kissing her. Zomg!
Honestly, this doesn't sound like anything really special. But its third volume started at #6 on the Oricon charts, right between Bleach #40 and New Prince of Tennis #1, so it must have something going for it. If you'd like to get a sense of Hazuki's art, try picking up her Voices of Love, published by Deux Press.
Amanchu!
- Creator: Kozue Amano
- Publisher: Mag Garden
- Anthology: Monthly Comic Blade (shounen)
- Volumes: 1 (ongoing)
- Expected Licensor: TOKYOPOP
This manga revolves around two young women-- 16-year-olds --who wind up becoming friends in spite of their differences. One, Hikari, is a simple, care-free, ocean-loving scuba diver-- very reminiscent of the heroine of Umisho --and the other, a cell-phone-addicted, scooter-driving "normal" girl named Futaba Ooki. Throw in a teacher who bonds with Hikari on the first day over their both being scuba divers, and you've got a female-filled manga by ARIA's Kozue Amano.
Amano's name is so big that the first volume of this manga hit #8 on Oricon's sales charts already. TOKYOPOP already has Amano's biggest title, ARIA, and quite a few other Comic Blade titles-- Elemental Gelade, Good Witch of the West, Otogizoshi, etc. --so they seem like the obvious choice.
(I have no clue why I have started liking shoujo stuff more lately...)
Lol, when I was in japan in January, Medaka Box had its one shot in the latest WSJ. Makes me feel like I have a special connection : )
Having read a little of Sukitte, I wanted to try chiming in on why I thought it was so successful... I'm not entirely sure why myself, but I do love the series. I think a big thing is the art, which is pretty and soft and stylish and very attractive to look at. The characters are also interesting: reading about a distant, loner girl being won over by an unexpectedly nice guy was pretty much an instant win for this shoujo-lovin' girl. I guess it's the reversal of the usual (shoujo-manga) roles: rather than a cool, emotionless guy (ugh) being pursued by a spunky heroine, the girl is the one who doesn't want to get involved. It might be compared to Kimi ni Todoke too, a little, but I think these characters have a bit more... attitude, or something. But I think it's something about the unusual dynamic between the two leads that makes both those series so easy to love.