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One Shot Manga in the U.S. available for purchase




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RoninTheGreyJedi



Joined: 05 Sep 2017
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 10:32 am Reply with quote
Good morning to all, i have a question! Currently, i am using manga as another form of reading for my high school classes. and i can say that it went very well last year, i used the manga "all you need is kill" the kids were hooked, and i've never seen them so quiet in my life. but my issue is that i can't find other one shot mangas (in english) that are available for purchase (in the U.S. of A)! i have found two others that i can use, 5 centimeters per second, and wolf children. but i need one more, something with a little umph to it. preferably an action one. i'm leaning towards summer wars because it's only a two part manga. any ideas? it has to be school appropriate of course, preferable for ages 10+
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zawa113



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 7357
PostPosted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 11:30 am Reply with quote
Ooooh, that sounds like a fun challenge to me! But going for maybe a 3 volume or fewer series might also be a sound choice for future ideas.

A Drunken Dream and other stories is a fantastic collection of short stories by Moto Hagio. If you don't want short story format, Heart of Thomas is also available in one single glorious volume and deals with a boy coming to terms with if he does or doesn't love a boy who commits suicide at the start of the series. Definitely filled with a good amount of teen angst.

A Distant Neighborhood-A Japanese man suddenly finds himself transported back in time to when he was a young teen. At first, he's enjoying reliving his life from that time, but then he remembers that this was right around the time when his father disappeared without any explanation. He then becomes determined to know why his father left and if he can stop it.

Olimpos-Ganymede is a Trojan prince about to have his coming of age parade when he is suddenly abducted by Apollo. Apollo traps Ganymede in the Garden of the Gods, from which one cannot escape and he is now immortal and does not require things like food. But eternal life is boring, why would Apollo subject him to it?

For some 3 volume or less things that might be good:
Genkaku Picasso- After a freak accident kills his best friend, Hikari Hamura (or "Picasso"), an eccentric introvert artist, suddenly finds his best friend is now a fairy in his pocket (that only he can see) and that his hand is beginning to rot off. The only way to stop this is to draw what he sees of people's hearts, enter the paintings, and fix their problems.
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 2599
Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City
PostPosted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 1:05 pm Reply with quote
I love using manga in my classroom! If you teach in one of the school districts that has a laptop/ipad program, Netcomix's edition of 9 Faces of Love by Wann is a great short story collection for exploring different elements of literature. (Print book is sadly out of print.)

Other one-shots are the gods lie, published by Vertical, which is more of a slice-of-life story, and the wonderful collection of Satoshi Kon's short stories that Vertical also publishes. (I'm writing on the go here, so I'm relying on my memory...)

I'll check my shelves and old syllabi and see what else I can find!
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st_owly



Joined: 20 May 2008
Posts: 5234
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
PostPosted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 2:35 pm Reply with quote
A couple which spring to mind:

Mistress Fortune A magical girl/duo story.

Crimson-Shell An action/fantasy story complete with mad scientist
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zawa113



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 7357
PostPosted: Tue Sep 05, 2017 5:15 pm Reply with quote
Thought of another one, Nimona is an American comic that started as a webcomic, but does have a one volume complete physical book too. It was published in both hardcover and a cheaper paperback too (for if you want to go durability vs cheaper with students) and it's plentiful and in print too. It starts with a girl, Nimona, who wants to be a henchman to villain Lord Blackheart. But the series progresses naturally from its clear web comic origins to having darker themes with a more epic narrative. Also, Nimona can shape shift into a shark.
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Tamaria



Joined: 21 Oct 2007
Posts: 1512
Location: De Achterhoek
PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 2:38 pm Reply with quote
I second The gods lie. That's an excellent one. Probably a bit of a spoiler, but it reminded me of a certain novel by Ian McEwan, but definitely more hopeful.

Some other one-shots that should (still) be easy to find:
-Opus (Satoshi Kon), a very meta work about a writer and his sciencefiction manga.
-Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths (Shigeru Mizuki), your local history teacher will thank you
-Stargazing Dog (Takashi Murakami), a great one if you want to make your students cry
-The Ice Wanderer (Jiro Taniguchi), a collection of short stories about man and/versus nature

Sadly none really match the 'oomph' of All You Need is Kill and I doubt you'll find more of that unless you're willing to look at series. But... maybe some horror? There are plenty Junji Ito collections out there. Uzumaki (now available in omnibus format) is highly recommended, but if you want short stores, try Fragments of Horror.

Nudity is probably a no-go, right? Sakuran by Moyoco Anno also has some literary value going for it, but considering it's about Edo's light red district and its courtisans... Another good one by Moyoco Anno is In Clothes Called Fat. You can probably guess the subject.

Oh, and if we're going to recommend western graphic novels as well, my vote goes to I Kills Giants! Smile
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