It’s rare that I plan to buy 50% of the new manga arrivals on any given Wednesday, but this week’s short shipping list — just four titles in all — includes the latest volumes of two favorite series: Rumiko Takahashi’s epic, underrated InuYasha (VIZ), and Jeon JinSook’s gorgeously illustrated One Thousand and One Nights (Yen Press). The first series needs no introduction, but the second seems to be flying under the radar, an undiscovered gem that has the potential to appeal to many audiences: fantasy fans, history buffs, amateur folklorists, and, yes, yaoi readers. Last year, I named One Thousand and One Nights my “Greatest Guilty Pleasure of 2008,” summarizing its appeal thusly:

It’s Sheherazhade in manhwa form, only Sheherazhade is an impossibly beautiful young man who’s bewitched the sultan with his good looks and storytelling chops. (In other words: The Arabian Knights, BL Edition.) If something this gloriously overwrought doesn’t scream “guilty pleasure,” I don’t know what does.

If my brief appraisal doesn’t persuade you, why not check out Melinda Beasi’s review of volume nine? Melinda is an unapologetic fan of the series, and has been one of the few reviewers to regularly highlight new volumes as they’re released. Her review of the previous volume nicely underscores what makes this series so crack-tastically readable:

This series’ art continues to capture my heart, with its elaborate costuming, lush backgrounds, and dreamy character designs. The characters’ potent beauty and expressive, thickly lined eyes are undeniably characteristic of Korean comics–a style clearly not to everyone’s taste, though I’ll never quite understand why.

Despite the fact that this volume’s greatest impact is made in its first few (glorious) pages, it is by no means uneven and remains thoroughly compelling to the end. With just three volumes yet to come, One Thousand and One Nights continues to be one of my greatest reading pleasures–intensely moving and gorgeous to look at. No fan of storytelling or dramatic romance should miss this series.

One Thousand and One Nights is definitely worth a look, especially when there aren’t many other titles competing for your attention this week. Full shipping list below.

NEW ARRIVALS

• Cynical Orange, Vol. 9 (Yen Press)
• InuYasha, Vol. 44 (VIZ)
• Moon Boy, Vol. 7 (Yen Press)
• One Thousand and One Nights, Vol. 9 (Yen Press)