Therefore Please Choose Me 1 and 2 by Minase Ai, The Breaker 7, My Handsome Pet by Miyake Madoka (m&c! 16 May 2012 manga and manhwa)

m&c! was nice enuf to upload the artwork early, so here ya go :)

Dakara Ore ni Shina yo © Minase Ai/Shogakukan [First serialized in Sho-Comi]. Published in Indonesia as Therefore, Please Choose Me by Gramedia/m&c!

If one were to count—even subtracting the hyperbole—Kanata has confessed his love to Hina at least a hundred times. No mean feat that. Unfortunately for Kanata, Hina has never seen him as more than a childhood friend. Still, Kanata never expected to lose Hina, especially not to Shugo!

After four-week hiccup, m&c! finally double-launches Minase Ai's Therefore, Please Choose Me, originally Dakara Ore ni Shina yo serialized in Sho-Comi (starting 2008, a year before Kyaaa~! Narumi~♡ Namida Usagi ~Tears of First Love~ launched).

Your Mileage Will Most Likely Vary—especially if you absolutely lurve, lurve, LURVE! NamiUsa, or anything of Minase Ai-sensei—but I have issues with Therefore, Please Choose Me. So don't read my impressions of the Delinquents, Gangs, Childhood Friends, Love Triangle series »hidden here.

Therefore, Please Choose Me by Minase Ai: Snap-review
Contains   [SPOILERS!]

Yes, I get that Girls want Bad Boys, I do. But this is one time I sooo wanted the Unlucky Osananajimi to win, especially as he is moar heroic. Contrast Kanata with not my choice jerk hero who delivers TDTL Hina to the bad guys and *watches*—for. Too. Long!—before getting off his b*tt and saving her. That to me was Shugo's irredeemable sin, the reason for why I couldn't give this two-volume manga more than a 6 of 10, or a C+.

Verdict: Borrow if you must.

☞ Scroll down for the preview to Therefore, Please Choose Me volume 2 and/or if you're interested in other Minase Ai shoujo manga m&c! has published, or titles it—or some other Indonesian publisher—has yet to license. (I'll get to the other m&c! debuts in a moment.) I know fans of The Breaker are already getting antsy.

The Breaker vol 7 of 10
By Jeon KeukJin & Park JinHwan

Koo Moon Ryong opts for the unexpected to save the life of disciple Lee Shi Woon. Thus kicks off a battle unprecedented in fighting history.

The Breaker only goes up to volume 10, but sequel The Breaker: New Waves is already on its third volume as of April 2012 and is still running. Or breaking. Whatever :P

New m&c! titles
Premiering alongside Minase Ai's Therefore, Please Choose Me are My Handsome Pet (Pet wa Binyanko) by Miyake Madoka, also an ex-Sho-Comi serial, as well as Catching your Love (Sawatari-san o Kouryaku suru Houhou) by Morita Yuki, the latter first serialized in for young girls (about 9–15 years old) Ciao, rivals with Shueisha's Ribon and Kodansha's Nakayoshi.

Pet wa Binyanko。
© Miyake Madoka
Shogakukan [Sho-Comi]
Published in Indonesia as
My Handsome Pet
by Gramedia/m&c!

Completing the newbies is Ice Fantasy 1 that despite the title is actually a manhua from Andy Seto (City of Darkness), from a story by Guo JingMing. And unlike when City of Darkness premiered, Imma preview Andy Seto's latest (as well as Morita Yuki's Catching your Love) below the release list. Above the Cut blog estate goes to Miyake Madoka's My Handsome Pet:

Shy girl Ruho has a secret. She keeps a cat named Kuro in the garden behind the school. One day while calling Kuro, a bishie answers. "Kuro here...!"

Whuck!?

In addition to the title story, My Handsome Pet contains shorts Life on Hand, My Lover is A Vampire, Beyond Forbidden Territory and Holding Hands with You.

Other Miyake Madoka manga
Before publishing My Handsome Pet or Pet wa Binyanko, m&c! released Miyake Madoka's Watashi no Tonari ni Cute na Kimi, retitling it The Cute One Beside Me and issuing the one volume as part of last year's Love is Everywhere attack. Telor Ceplok reviewer Lina-chan gave The Cute One Beside Me a grade of 8 of 10♡.

Miyake Madoka-sensei is not what you call a prolific manga-ka and her/his backlist (at the time of this writing) only contained three titles and one participation in a shoujo omnibus. The third title, Bitter na Kokuin, was published here in Indonesia by 3L Comics as Bitter Stamp With A Die; the (unlicensed) Sho-Comi Men's Collection antho to which Miyake Madoka contributed was Neko Kare Kūru (Flower Comics tankou per 2010.07.26) headlined by Minami Kanan (KyouKoi).

m&c! manga (2012.05.16)

1. [Premiere] Catching your Love (Sawatari-san o Kouryaku suru Houhou) by Morita Yuki

Sawatari-san o Kouryaku suru Houhou 「沢渡さんを攻略する方法 」 by Morita Yuki Shogakukan Ciao, shoujo This volume first published in Japan 2011.07

2. [Premiere] My Handsome Pet (Pet wa Binyanko.) by Miyake Madoka

Pet wa Binyanko. 「ペットは美ニャン子。」 by Miyake Madoka Shogakukan Sho-Comi, shoujo This volume first published in Japan 2011.05

3. [Series Premiere] Therefore, Please Choose Me (Dakara Ore ni Shina yo) vol 1 of 2 by Minase Ai «Ex-2012.04.18

Dakara Ore ni Shina yo 「だから俺にしなよ」 by Minase Ai Shogakukan Sho-Comi, shoujo Volume 1 of 2 first published in Japan 2008.06

4. [Premiere] Therefore, Please Choose Me vol 2 of 2 by Minase Ai [Finale] «Ex-4.18

Volume 2 of 2 first published in Japan 2008.09

m&c! manhwa (2012.05.16)

1. The Breaker vol 7 of 10 by Jeon KeukJin & Park JinHwan

The Breaker 「브레이커 (THE BREAKER)」 by Jeon KeukJin & Park JinHwan Daewon C.I. Young Daiwon, seinen Volume 7 first published in Korea 2009.08

Related series
Sequel: The Breaker: New Waves (three volumes per 2012.04.30, ongoing)

2. I Love You Just As You Are (Love You Just As You Are) vol 2 of 3 by Kim EunHee

Love You Just As You Are by Kim EunHee First published in Korea by Kenaz

Hong Kong manhua (2012.05.16)

• [Premiere] Ice Fantasy vol 1 of 3 by Andy Seto, Guo JingMing

Ice Fantasy Story by Guo JingMing Illustration by Andy Seto First published in Hong Kong by The One Comic

[Release links are hide/unhide. Click for more details.]

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Bleach 45, Namida Usagi ~Tears of First Love~ 7, Love Button 6 (m&c! manga out nau~) [UPDATED]

Street date: 2012.04.25
I would really lurve to go NikBabble™ mode, ON! on this (Sora!), so, let's see if RL cooperates. «Update: Because Lina-chan sez she misses NikBabble™ (Sankyuuu, Lina-chaaaan~)

Namida Usagi ~Seifuku no Kataomoi~ © Minase Ai/Shogakukan
[First serialized in Sho-Comi]
Published in Indonesia as Namida Usagi ~Tears of First Love~ by Gramedia/m&c!

"I don't know what Sora looks like nor his voice, and in a world this large, it would be next to impossible to ever meet him face to face. Little did I know he would appear right before my eyes..."

When she meets Kuon again at her part-time work, Momoka expects him to make fun of her like he usually does, but Teh Tsundere jerk-and-a-half Kuon subverts her expectations and actually acts *nice*. Momoka and Kuon become...if not quite buddies, then friendly acquaintances, much to boyfriend Narumi's chagrin. Not long after they grow close, Kuon makes a shocking confession: "I am Sora."

Namida Usagi ~Tears of First Love~ 7 compiles Stories 36 through 41, the last of which dropped my grade for this NamiUsa tank from 8 to 7.75 of 10 or B+. (Had it gotten that 8, it would have leveled up to A-. I couldn't see my way to giving it that grade, however, what with the story swerving from a Kuon–Usami–Narumi rabu triangle to an Usami–Narumi–Girl x cliffie.)

Nine Namida Usagi ~Seifuku no Kataomoi~ tankou have been released in Japan as of February 2012; the 10th (and last (完) ("End"), according to Amazon Japan) streets in Japan on 25 May 2012.

Now for the top manga DO WANT! —

Bleach vol 45 of 54+
By Kubo Tite

Ichigo returns to fake Karakura-chou where the combined Gotei 13 and Visored might fail to dispatch Aizen, whose powers are far greater than anyone had estimated. Aizen single-handedly defeats his opponents, including Ichigo, forcing commander Yamamoto himself to intervene.

Which explains why Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni, whom manga-ka Kubo Tite described as Imperturbable and like an unmovable pivot in the Bleach Official Character Book of Souls, page 200, is the cover boy of Bleach vol 45: The Burnout Inferno.

This Bleach volume compiles chapters 387 to 395: Ignited,Eagle Without Wings 2 (EXTREME BATTLEMASTER MIX),Winged Eagles 2,BEYOND THE DEATH UNDERSTANDING,The Blazing Glaciers,The Breaking Glaciers,The Burnout Inferno,The Burnout Inferno 2 and The Burnout Inferno 3. [*NOT m&c!'s chapter titles]

The latest Bleach tankou chapter is 479, Goodbye to Our Xcution, bound in volume 54 of the same name, released in Japan 2 March 2012.

New m&c! titles
m&c! launches two shoujo manga—Flow of Love (Suiren) by Nanao Mio and My Beloved Tailor (Dekiai Oresama Tailor) by Yagami Rina—and premieres a new manhua martial arts series, City of Darkness by Andy Seto - Yu Er. I delve into some detail on the two shoujo standalones (one ex-Cheese!, the second from Sho-Comi) after the release list, but grant City of Darkness the snap synops up here: Despite winning battles left and right, Chen Luojun loses everything and is now hunted down by the Triad. What happened to plunge the fighting champ into this nightmare?

Mangazines: Cherry April 2012 edition
First off, Cherry April 2012 edition ups its price to IDR 30,000 from the previous IDR 27,500. It premieres Key of Love by Notoyama Keiko (originally Koi x Kagi or 恋×カギ ex-Ciao) and ends (it indicates Final Episode, but closes with Bersambung) I am not a Maid! by Iwaoka Meme. Deets after the release list.

m&c! manga (2011.04.25)

1. Bleach vol 45 of 54+ by Kubo Tite

Bleach 「ＢＬＥＡＣＨ－ブリーチ－」 by Kubo Tite Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump, shounen Volume 45: The Burnout Inferno (chapters 387–395) first published in Japan 2010.06

Awards
Winner, 50th Shogakukan Manga Awards in the Shounen category

Other languages
English Bleach (VIZ Media: 39 volumes as of 2012.04.03 • volume 40 street date: 2012.06.05), French (Glénat: Tome 47 shipped 2012.03 • Tome 48 street date: 2012.05.09), Spanish (Glénat in Spain, Grupo Editorial Vid in Mexico), German (TOKYOPOP Germany: Band 50 per 2012.03 • Band 51 street date: 2012.05.09), Dutch (Kana), Russian (Эксмо), Polish (JPF), Portuguese (Planet Manga) and simplified Chinese (Chuang Yi Singapore: Bleach #52: End of Bond released 2012.01)

Related
Kubo Tite and Makoto Matsubara co-authored two Bleach novels: BLEACH-letters from the other side: The Death and The Strawberry (Japan release: 2004.12) and BLEACH: The Honey Dish Rhapsody (2006.10).

The Bleach All Colour But The Black artbook, compiling color spreads from manga volumes 1 through 19 with original art and author annotations, released in Japan (2006.12), USA (The Art of Bleach, 2008.10) and France (All colour but the black: Recueil des illustrations de Bleach, 2008.11).

Companion guidebooks have also been published: Bleach SOULs and Bleach VIBEs released 2006.02 in Japan (The English Bleach SOULs. Official Character Book shipped 2008.11 in North America, while the French version streeted 2009.11). A third Bleach Official Bootleg: KaraBuri+ guidebook released 2007.08 in Japan. (English Color Bleach+: The Bleach Official Bootleg released 2010.08.10.) The fourth and fifth Bleach: Official Character Book 2: MASKED and Official Character Book 3: UNMASKED streeted in Japan on 2010.08.04 (same day as Volume 46: Back From Blind) and 2011.06.03 (along with Volume 50: The Six Fullbringers).

Adaptations
Studio Pierrot's anime adaptation first broadcast in October 2004 and ended with episode 366, which aired in Japan in 2012.03.27. Seiyuu Morita Masakazu and Orikasa Fumiko star as Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia, with Park Romi playing 10th Division captain Hitsugaya Toshiro. Two OAVs and four theatrical movies—Memories of Nobody; The DiamondDust Rebellion, Another Hyōrinmaru; Fade to Black, I Call Your Name; and Bleach: The Hell Verse—have been released. (Novelizations of these movies have also been published by JUMP J Books: Fade to Black, I Call Your Name in December 2008 and Bleach: The Hell Verse in December 2010.) Additionally, Warner Bros. has confirmed it will be producing a Bleach live-action film.

At least eight drama CDs have been produced. Featuring the original anime cast, the drama CDs were bundled with the DVDs.

2. First Love Lesson (Hatsukoi Shinan) vol 3 of 4 by Yabuuchi Yuu

Hatsukoi Shinan 「初恋指南」 by Yabuuchi Yuu Shogakukan ChuChu, shoujo Volume 3 first published in Japan 2009.10

Other languages
German (Egmont Manga & Anime: Love Love Mangaka, four volumes per 2011.08)

3. [Premiere] Flow of Love (Suiren) by Nanao Mio

Suiren 「水恋－すいれん－」 by Nanao Mio Shogakukan Cheese!, shoujo This anthology first published in Japan 2011.03

4. Love Button (Kokoro Button) vol 6 of 7+ by Usami Maki

Kokoro · Button 「ココロ・ボタン」 by Usami Maki Shogakukan Betsucomi, shoujo Volume 6 first published in Japan 2011.09

5. [Premiere] My Beloved Tailor (Dekiai Oresama Tailor) by Yagami Rina

Dekiai Oresama Tailor 「溺愛オレ様テーラー」 by Yagami Rina Shogakukan Sho-Comi, shoujo This volume first published in Japan 2011.08

6. Namida Usagi ~Tears of First Love~ (Namida Usagi ~Seifuku no Kataomoi~) vol 7 of 10 by Minase Ai

Namida Usagi ~Seifuku no Kataomoi~ 「なみだうさぎ～制服の片想い～」 by Minase Ai Shogakukan Sho-Comi, shoujo Volume 7 (Story 36–41) first published in Japan 2011.07

OEL manga [AMERO comics] (2011.04.25)

• Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives vol 2 of 3 by Ellen Schreiber

Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives by Ellen Schreiber, illustrated by rem TOKYOPOP and HarperCollins, Young Adult Volume 2 first published in the US 2008.09

Related series
Main story: the Vampire Kisses series by Ellen Schreiber (Vampire Kisses (2003), Vampire Kisses 2: Kissing Coffins (2005), Vampire Kisses 3: Vampireville (2006), Vampire Kisses 4: Dance with a Vampire (2007) Vampire Kisses 5: The Coffin Club (2008), Vampire Kisses 6: Royal Blood (2009), Vampire Kisses 7: Love Bites (2010), Vampire Kisses 8: Cryptic Cravings (2011) and Vampire Kisses: Immortal Hearts (2012.05.15 street date)
OEL manga sequel: Vampire Kisses: Graveyard Games illustrated by Xian Nu Studio (2011.09.27)

Hong Kong manhua (2011.04.25)

1. [Series Premiere] City of Darkness vol 1 by Andy Seto - Yu Er

City of Darkness by Andy Seto - Yu Er Published by The One Comics Publishing Limited

2. Pedang Maha Dewa 4: Amazing Weapons - The Lost Blade vol 8 by Tony Wong

Pedang Maha Dewa 4: Amazing Weapons - The Lost Blade by Tony Wong Published by Jade Dynasty

[Release links are hide/unhide. Click for more details.]

Mangazines (2011.04.25)

• Cherry April 2012 Edition (Indonesian Ciao, Sho-Comi, ChuChu, Betsucomi, Flowers)

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