Welcome to Shibuya-cho

Welcome all my friends to the show that never ends (hopefully). First news this week... STUFF! Lots of stuff. We just got in a million Naruto keychains, Deathnote keychains and patches, some new wristbands, necklaces -- oh, and 1:1 scale Naruto emblem iron-ons (like the Konohagakure red swirl, the Uchiha fan, the thing on the back of Tsunade's coat, and the Akatsuki clouds). So much new nifty stuff, that we had to play Tetris with all our other merchandise just to make space for everything.

Oh, and the toys. This week, we obtained a PVC of The Major from the Ghost in the Shell: SAC Solid State Society movie, a PVC of Urd from Ah! My Goddess in a bikini, chibi coin figures for the characters of Lamento (by the same people who did the chibi coin figures for Togainu No Chi), and a bunch of other PVC statues for Rumble Roses, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and many others. The downside? PVC statues get kinda pricey, but they're all so awesome that you know it's worth it (kudos to Japanese sculptors).

Now for the manga. This is a big week, since this is technically the first Wednesday of November. We've got Eden vol. 9, D. Gray-Man vol. 7, Prince of Tennis vol. 22 , One Piece vol. 16, and Ultimate Muscle vol. 18 just for starters. There's also plenty of new yaoi books coming in and a billion other titles I know you're gonna love; but this time I want to focus on a new book that I had once thought was completely over and am so glad to see now.

Now, I don't know if any of you remember a series called Hands Off by Kasane Katsumoto. It was about the two psychic cousins who struggle to restore their once-brotherly relationship that was wrought apart by ghost sightings, deaths in the family, and just growing up. You might also remember their overtly flirtatious and charismatic friend Yuuto thrust in the middle trying to keep everyone's volatile tempers from exploding every step forward. If you remember the series, then I'm sure you loved it too. Well this week beckons the release of Hands Off: Don't Call Us Angels Vol. 01.

By the end of the first series, so many other characters had appeared and while some mysteries and issues were resolved. Now we get the chance to go even further, and I couldn't be happier. This is essentially a mini-series dedicated to flashbacks of the highschool days of Udou and Kiba (the older psychics that appear half way through the original series), and we get to find out more about their relationship and how they came into their own powers. So this week, be prepared with all your saved-up allowance (even if you're the one allowing it to yourself), and all that unused lunch money (or money you were supposed to, but know you weren't gonna use on food anyway), and have a little shopping spree. God knows I'm broke. See you all next time.

Ja Ne!
Mat K.