Have you seen Anvil: The Story of Anvil? I rented it last week, and can’t decide if was a stellar example of life imitating art or a sly homage to Spinal Tap. (So many scenes eerily paralleled Spinal Tap, from a disastrous tour managed by a band member’s overbearing girlfriend to an interview in which two members fondly recalled their first song, “Thumb Hang,” inspired by a middle-school history lesson on the Spanish Inquisition.) Either way, the musicians’ on-stage antics — the head-banging, the ridiculously choreographed explosions, the lead singer’s fondness for dropping f-bombs and using a dildo to play his guitar — irresistibly reminded me of the Detroit Metal City (VIZ) gang, as did Anvil’s penchant for cartoonishly sleazy lyrics. In fact, watching the documentary gave me a fresh appreciation for just how sharp DMC’s satire really is, making the third volume my top pick for this week.

My other Must-Read Manga lies at the very opposite end of the comedy spectrum from DMC: volume one of Itazura Na Kiss (DMP). As Danielle Leigh noted in her glowing assessment of this ground-breaking comedy, manga-ka Kaoru Tada demonstrates an uncommon ability to transcend formula to create appealing, plausible characters:

Kaoru Tada writes the contemporary romantic comedy shojo playbook in Itazura Na Kiss (1991-1999) but unlike many of her imitators, her characters always seem genuine even when they find themselves in fairly contrived “only in a shojo manga” situations… Whether they are competing against each other in their school sports day or struggling (& often failing) to establish certain personal boundaries, Naoki and Kotoko can’t escape the ways in which their actions are transforming the people around them along with each other.

I heartily agree with Danielle. As I noted in my own review, it’s easy to see why so many manga-ka tried to replicate what Tada achieved in Itazura Na Kiss — hello, Four-Eyed Prince! — but equally easy to see why they failed: too much emphasis on wacky hijinks and improbable coincidences and not enough on character development.

Other sure bets include GoGo Monster (VIZ), another beautiful head trip from Taiyo “Tekkonkinkreet” Matsumoto; the latest volume of Goong: The Royal Palace (Yen Press), a soap opera about a commoner who marries into a royal family; the sixth volume of Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys (VIZ), an uncommonly good thriller; and the seventh volume of Yotsuba&! (Yen Press). For folks who just can’t get enough of Kiyohiko Azuma’s slice-of-life comedies, Yen is also releasing a brand-new  edition of Azumanga Daoih. I haven’t had a chance to compare it with the ADV version, though if Yen’s Yotsuba&! translation is an indication of what’s to come, I think I’ll just hang on to my older copy.

Before I get to the full shipping list, a quick reminder for all you shojoholics: I’m giving away a brand-new, shrink-wrapped copy of Butterflies, Flowers (VIZ). For contest details, click here. But don’t wait — entries close on Thursday night!

NEW SERIES/ANTHOLOGIES

• .hack//Legend of the Twilight: Complete Collection (Tokyopop)
• Azumanga Daioh: Collected Edition (Yen Press)
• GoGo Monster (VIZ)
• Itazura Na Kiss, Vol. 1 (DMP; click here for review)
• Pandora Hearts, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
• Raiders, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
• Time and Again, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)

CONTINUING SERIES

• 13th Boy, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
• Angel Diary, Vol. 10 (Yen Press)
• The Antique Gift Shop, Vol. 9 (Yen Press)
• Bamboo Blade, Vol. 3 (Yen Press)
• Black God, Vol. 7 (Yen Press)
• Cirque du Freak, Vol. 3: Tunnels of Blood (Yen Press)
• Comic, Vol. 8 (Yen Press)
• Cynical Orange, Vol. 8 (Yen Pres)
• Detroit Metal City, Vol. 3 (VIZ; click here for review)
• Dogs: Bullets & Carnage, Vol. 2 (VIZ)
• Dorothea, Vol. 6 (CMX)
• Excel Saga, Vol. 20 (VIZ)
• Fushigi Yugi VIZBIG Edition, Vol. 4 (VIZ)
• Gestalt, Vol. 4 (VIZ)
• Goong: The Royal Palace, Vol. 7 (Yen Press)
• Hell Girl, Vol. 6 (Del Rey)
• Hot Gimmick VIZBIG Edition, Vol. 3 (VIZ)
• InuYasha, Vol. 43 (VIZ)
• Legend, Vol. 6 (Yen Press)
• Nabari No Ou, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
• Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, Vol. 6 (VIZ)
• O-Parts Hunter, Vol. 19 (VIZ)
• One Thousand and One Nights, Vol. 8 (Yen Press)
• Ooku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 2 (VIZ; click here for review)
• Pig Bride, Vol. 3 (Yen Press)
• Rurouni Kenshin VIZBIG Edition, Vol. 8 (VIZ)
• Sarash, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
• Spiral: Bonds of Reasoning, Vol. 9 (Yen Press)
• Sugarholic, Vol. 2 (Yen Press)
• Very! Very! Sweet, Vol. 5 (Yen Press)
• Yotsuba&!, Vol. 7 (Yen Press)
• You’re So Cool, Vol. 5 (Yen Press)
• Zombie-Loan, Vol. 7 (Yen Press)