So far in this years “Of the Year” articles, we have seen a number of classic video game series get their moment to shine and anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day take out my North American Anime Release of the Year award. This next installment covers two new additions to this set of annual articles which I don’t believe I have focused on in previous years however are aspects covered on The Otaku’s Study. These are:
Manga Release of the Year
A single award given to the one series (New or Ongoing) which I have considered the best manga released over the course of the year. The release must have been made available in at least North America or Australia over the course of the year.
Book Release of the Year
Two forms of book releases have been covered on this site over the last year, Artbooks and Manga Educational Books. Both will be covered under the same header with the only requirement being that it was released internationally during 2012.
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Manga of the Year 2012 Comments
Unlike other years I don’t seem to have picked up and read as many recent manga releases, given their lower availability in Australia and most of the ones I have read being from 2011 or earlier. However, I couldn’t help but pick this one up just this month, and provided the company works a bit quicker at releasing this series than another similar series…. I could easily see this being one I will follow through to the end.
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Umineko: When They Cry
Yen Press
Each year, the Ushiromiya family gathers at the secluded mansion of its patriarch, the elderly Kinzo. It has been six years since Battler joined his cousins at the annual event, but their happy reunion is overshadowed by worsening weather and an eerie premonition from his youngest cousin.
When their parents’ conversation turns to the division of the inheritance upon Kinzo’s imminent death, Battler and his cousins reminisce about the stories their parents teased them with as children – tales of the witch, Beatrice, who haunts the island’s forest. But when people start dying unnatural deaths, Battler can’t help but wonder…
Given there are a total of eight arcs in the Umineko no Naku Koro ni sound novel series, you can expect that fans will be collecting this manga series for a while, thankfully quickened by Yen Press’ decision to release them in omnibus formats of two Japanese volumes per release. So far there has only been one volume release in this manga series made last month, the next one is scheduled to be released in February and will conclude the first arc.
While I think it would be hard to replicate the experience of the sound novel series originally released by 07th Expansion, the manga series does a good job of at the very least replicating the important points of the series. The first arc, especially the first volume is pretty slow as it serves to introduce new readers to the characters and setting of the series… but given several factors I think this is a manga release that is well deserving of the title.
Coupled with solid design and production quality, I would like to think that their efforts by Yen Press will pay off, and we won’t have to wait as many years for completion as the Higurashi manga which has been ongoing since 2008 and has a release schedule well into 2014.
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Book of the Year 2012 Comments
I was torn between giving the title to this release and Persona 4: Official Design Works, as while both are in my opinion the top of their genre for releases this year…. I thought the creativity of this recipient was very well deserving of this award.
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Wonderful Life with the Elements – The Periodic Table Personified
No Starch Press
From the brilliant mind of Japanese artist Bunpei Yorifuji comes Wonderful Life with the Elements, an illustrated guide to the periodic table that gives chemistry a friendly face.
In this super periodic table, every element is a unique character whose properties are represented visually: heavy elements are fat, man-made elements are robots, and noble gases sport impressive afros. Every detail is significant, from the length of an element’s beard to the clothes on its back. You’ll also learn about each element’s discovery, its common uses, and other vital stats like whether it floats—or explodes—in water.
Why bother trudging through a traditional periodic table? In this periodic paradise, the elements are people too. And once you’ve met them, you’ll never forget them.
As someone who has been in the field of science for many years, I can say that one of the more frustrating aspects of studying Chemistry in the earlier years is memorizing and utilizing a periodic table. There is very little I found you could do with it to make it more interesting to learn about and memorize…. until a few months ago when I received my copy of the Wonderful Life with the Elements – A Periodic Table Personified by No Starch Press.
Unfortunately it is not a replacement for the periodic table, however as many of the companies science book releases it serves as a great study tool, providing interesting personifications of all the elements, interesting facts and much of the information I think is required for students to know. The only problem I found with it was…. that it wasn’t released earlier when I was still a school student…. as anything to make learning this aspect of Chemistry would have made for a much easier experience I think.
