This week is a shojo lover’s feast, with several new offerings — Black Bird (VIZ), Bloody Kiss (Tokyopop), Kimi no Todoke: From Me to You (VIZ), and Sugarholic (Yen Press) — as well as the latest volumes of Baby & Me, Crimson Hero, Kaze Hikaru, Otomen, and Vampire Knight. Advanced reviews of Kimi no Todoke suggest that this comedy about a spooky-looking girl with a sparkly personality is a must for serious shojo fans. The always-reliable David Welsh praises the book for its humor and generosity towards its principle character:

It’s that disconnect – Sawako’s frightening mien wrapped around the open heart of a true shôjo princess – that makes the book so funny and endearing. Also delightful is the fact that Sawako never once entertains the notion of changing her appearance; she just wants to introduce her classmates to the girl on the inside. Shiina has a real gift for constructing scenarios that allow you can root for Sawako and still giggle at the ways her efforts can backfire. Shiina’s illustrations hit all the right notes, from funny-creepy to sparkly-sweet, sometimes in the same panel.

If you prefer shojo with actual ghosts and demons, you might find Black Bird or Bloody Kiss more to your liking. Both feature teenage girls who meet handsome, mysterious demons with a taste for human blood. (One is a tengu, the others are vampires… see if you can match the monster to the appropriate title.) I haven’t read Bloody Kiss, but Black Bird left a bad aftertaste for me, as I noted in my review:

… [T]he entire story revolves around its heroine’s repeated degradation. Demons slash her throat, poison her, push her off rooftops, and slam her against walls, yet she never defends herself or runs away, relying instead on Kyo to save her. Kyo’s “rescues” are as icky as the attacks themselves, as Kyo licks Misao’s wounds with abandon (he says he’s healing her; I say,  ewwwwwwww), pins her down, and browbeats her for not sticking close to him.

Also arriving this week: Ponyo on the Cliff By the Sea (VIZ), a graphic novel adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film; Tena on S-String (Yen Press), a fan service spectacular about a girl who can see other people’s musical auras; Zone-00 (Tokyopop), a new series about a drug that threatens to disrupt a long-standing truce between demons and humans; and the latest volume of Naoki Urasawa’s brilliant Pluto (VIZ).

NEW SERIES/ONE-SHOTS

• Black Bird, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
• Bloody Kiss, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
• Dragon Ball Chapter Book, Vol. 1: The Adventure Begins (VIZ)
• Dragon Ball Chapter Book, Vol. 2: Dragon Balls in Danger (VIZ)
• Fire and Brimstone, Vol. 1 (Antarctic Press)
• Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
• Momogumi Plus Senki, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
• Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea Film Comic, Vols. 1-2 (VIZ)
• Sugarholic, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
• Tena on S-String, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
• WaqWaq, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
• Zone-00, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)

CONTINUING SERIES

• Baby & Me, Vol. 15 (VIZ)
• BakeGyamon: Backwards Game, Vol. 3 (VIZ)
• Bizenghast, Vol. 6 (Tokyopop)
• Blade of the Immortal, Vol. 21 (Dark Horse)
• B.O.D.Y., Vol. 6 (VIZ)
• Cirque du Freak, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
• Crimson Hero, Vol. 11 (VIZ)
• D. Gray-Man, Vol. 14 (VIZ)
• DNAngel, Vol. 12 (Tokyopop)
• Eyeshield 21, Vol. 27 (VIZ)
• Gravitation Collection, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
• Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time, Vol. 5 (VIZ)
• Hikaru no Go, Vol. 16 (VIZ)
• Hoshin Engi, Vol. 14 (VIZ)
• JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Vol. 12 (VIZ)
• Kaze Hikaru, Vol. 14 (VIZ)
• Magic Touch, Vol. 3 (VIZ)
• Maid Sama, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
• Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation, Vol. 12 (VIZ)
• NORA: Last Chronicle of Devildom, Vol. 6 (VIZ)
• Otomen, Vol. 3 (VIZ)
• Phantom Dream, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
• Pig Bride, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
• Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka: Vol. 4 (VIZ)
• Pokemon Adventures, Vol. 2 (VIZ)
• Rosario + Vampire, Vol. 8 (VIZ)
• Slam Dunk, Vol. 5 (VIZ)
• Togainu no Chi, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
• Trinity Blood, Vol. 11 (Tokyopop)
• Tsubasa: Those With Wings, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
• Vampire Knight, Vol. 7 (VIZ)