Chibi or not chibi — that’s the question prompted by this week’s shipping list, which features two new Manga Shakespeare editions from Self-Made Hero: As You Like It and Othello. I wasn’t impressed with Self-Made Hero’s freshman efforts; I thought the art and the editing bowdlerized the original plays to such an extent that neither Hamlet nor Romeo and Juliet were helpful as study aids. Judging from the sample pages posted at the publisher’s website, however, the artwork for Othello looks pretty snazzy, so I may give the line a second look.

If the Bard isn’t your cup of tea, you’ll also find several new series on bookshelves, including Future Diary (Tokyopop), a book Brigid Alverson dubbed “the Twitter version of Battle Royale,” and Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit (VIZ), a sci-fi tale that’s equal parts 1984 and “The Lottery.” Other noteworthy arrivals include the fourteenth volume of Swan (CMX), the tenth volume of Trinity Blood (Tokyopop), and the seventeenth volume of Yakitate!! Japan (VIZ). Rumor has it that Kazuma enters a contest and bakes exotic bread… again.

NEW SERIES/ONE-SHOTS

• Animal Academy: Hakobune Haskusho, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
• Future Diary, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
• Gurren Lagann, Vol. 1 (Bandai Entertainment)
• Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit, Vol. 1 (VIZ)
• King of Debris, Vol. 1 (CMX)
• Manga Shakespeare: As You Like It (Harry N. Abrams)
• Manga Shakespeare: Othello (Harry N. Abrams)

CONTINUING SERIES

• Flame of Recca, Vol. 31 (VIZ)
• Hayate the Combat Butler, Vol. 11 (VIZ)
• Jim Henson’s Return to Labyrinth, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
• Oh! My Goddess, Vol. 32 (Dark Horse)
• Project Arms, Vol. 22 (VIZ)
• Swan, Vol. 14 (CMX)
• Switch, Vol. 8 (VIZ)
• Trinity Blood, Vol. 10 (Tokyopop)
• Yakitate!! Japan, Vol. 17 (VIZ)