Covering Sunday March 2018 edition

Hot on the heels of a writeup is more...writing up. I had something there, I promise. Anyway, we've got a new batch of covers this month, and for once I'd like to talk about them before the month is over. Which volume gets the coveted "Volume of the month"? Read on and be amazed!

It might be just me, but it certainly feels like Major 2nd is appearing here really frequently, hm. In any case, this just leans into my favorite things about the Major covers --the colors, the text placement, and of course Mitsuda's character designs that look classic shounen while avoiding being dated mainly through the eye sheen I think. This is going to be the last volume before the anime hits next month, so it'll probably be one of the first people see if they decide to start following the manga after watching the anime. I have seen it where manga sales jump right after the first episode airs, and while I doubt that'll happen for Major since it's a long running franchise, there will probably be a few people who are just starting to run the bases.

Bygone days in Tenshi and Akuto this month --it's hard to believe this arc is only now receiving a volume release, with everything going on now --and the series heading to a conclusion. The placement of Subaru and Akuto are fine, but I don't really care for the font color used for Hirakawa's name, the volume number and the logo. I think it blends in a little too much on some points, and stands out too much in others. Otherwise it's fine, but I know Hirakawa can do better.

Meanwhile the 8th and final volume of Hiiragi-sama makes all the right choices in text placement, color, and size. I've always liked how calm and simple these covers are, and the finale is no exception. I really wish I had read the series properly so that I could properly disect the choice of characters here, but alas, I cannot. Come back soon, Nishimori-sensei!

I kinda like how the Komi-san covers look like they are scenes from the manga rather than being specific scenarios dreamed up to sell manga. Feels more...wholesome, for lack of a better word. The realistic blur of Tadano who's closest to us and therefore not the center of attention for Komi who's looking back at him is a nice touch, as well as having so many other characters in the scene to give it a sense of weight. A little thing, but I like that it says "volume 8" in roman letters rather than just a number --not that the other manga are wrong for not doing this, but there's something about that which is appealing to me, go figure. 

I want to say this is the first time Aozakura has been in these volume cover reviews --which is a shame since the series has a great logo, but it's endemic of how tough Sunday has it overall --even finding covers is difficult, but worry no more as I should be able to do so with relative ease for now on! Anyway, like Hiiragi above, I'm not reading this as intently as I should, though lately I have been paying more attention to it. The cover itself is simple, and I like the cherryblossoms dotting the white space as so it's not too jarring, but the true stare here is the logo of the series which is wonderfully centered and bold as to capture people's attention. I kinda thing Nikaido's name should be less spaced and maybe a little closer to the bottom, but otherwise this cover is one of the best of the month for sure.

Nagiko graces the cover of Daiku's fourth volume, and there's something very feminine about it --which is fitting of course, but man I realize now she hasn't been around much and I miss her. I probably just forgot, but was her hair color always brown like that? I could swear it was darker? Yes, yes, the cover. The logo and Kusaba's name contrast well with the grayscale? B/W? Not sure, but the colors pop well over the BG, though Nagiko herself kinda clashes with things. Sadly I can't offer anything particularly helpful to fix this issue as it would look really empty without her. So it's a win to lose sorta situation with this one, but my minor quips aside it is a solid entry into the series.

 

The finale of Quadrable is lean and green, and I gotta say it's a bold choice for Arai to stick with the "one-character-per-cover" motif even though this is the final one where you'd expect a group cover to be the norm. I'm not sure how I feel about it, in all honesty. The series is over, so it's not like there's a lot more to do to save it, but having a character --even if he is one of the protagonists on the cover of the final volume on his own wouldn't inspire one to check out the others on first glance? A group shot would establish that much better. Still, the composition of the cover is well done --I'm a sucker for shots where the character is reaching at us, and I said it before but I like Arai's "hand crafted-ish" artwork. It gives the series a quaint 90's vibe, sort of like Major 2nd.

The second volume of Youkai Giga establishes Kuro as the mascot as well as the motif for the covers, which really works well for the series. I'm pretty sure the youkai on the side are the ones we can expect to see in the volume proper, and I like how their eyes all glow red to distinguish themselves from the human character --in this case Makoto there doesn't have. Also Satou's artwork makes it look like an ukiyo-e painting which I really like so the Youkai get the volume of the month.

Finally is Pops on the third volume of Shinobi no. Sadly this volume has seen a steep decrease in sales compared to the first two, and while Pops isn't  in any immediate danger, it is saddening to think that his days are slowly growing limited., especially with a cover like this --I adore the ink splash on the side to give agency to the white space, and Pops's pose with his weapons shows he means business. The red logo also stands out wonderfully against his darker colored clothing, making this a strong cover overall, only barely being beaten out by Youkai Giga above. 

And that's it for March's releases! Next month --it's going to be a great war between the new series --Xeno, Ariadne, and Marry Grave, along with a few old favorites like Souboutei so it'll  be a thing to see who stands supreme over them all. Let's be ready for battle next month!