The Best New Manga of October 2015

Naruto, Vol. 72, by Masashi Kishimoto
Naruto, at one time the best selling manga in North America, comes to an end at last. This is not the volume to jump in with, but it brings the series to a satisfying close for longtime readers. I suspect Naruto will continue to find new readers well into the future, because Masashi Kishimoto seems to have gotten the shonen manga recipe just right: An entertaining main character with something to prove, interesting companions for the journey, plenty of action, and a dollop of fanservice, all lightened with some slapstick comedy. And don’t despair, true Naruto fans: Although Kishimoto says he’s done with the series now, there’s still a sequel, a movie, another movie, and an art book to look forward to in the coming months.

Tokyo ESP, Vol. 1, by Hajime Segawa
A flying penguin chases a stream of shining fish through the sky over Tokyo, and suddenly people are developing strange new powers—powers they can’t really control at first. Rinko Urushiba is busy with school and her part-time job, but one morning she falls through her bedroom floor (leaving her clothes behind), and from that moment forward she can pass through solid materials—whether she wants to or not. Fortunately she has a helper and guide of sorts, Kyotaro Azuma, who has mysteriously been gifted with the power of teleportation. And Rinko’s father’s sudden-onset psychokinesis is causing chaos in the streets of Tokyo. Tokyo ESP puts a nice spin on the standard superhero manga stories, with cool imagery and plenty of action, and publisher Vertical is serving it up in double-size omnibus volumes.

QQ Sweeper, Vol. 1, by Kyousuke Motomi
Handsome “cleaning expert” Kyutaro Horikita teams up with transfer student Fumi Nishioka to cleanse their high school of evil spirits in this new Shojo Beat manga by the creator of Dengeki Daisy. This romantic comedy is complete in three volumes.

Tokyo Ghoul, Vol. 3, by Sui Ishida
Tokyo Ghoul pits ghouls, creatures who must eat human flesh to survive, against a team of human investigators in a supernatural action story set in the streets of Tokyo. Standing between the two worlds is Ken Kaneki, a human who became a strange hybrid when he received an organ transplant from a ghoul. The story follows Ken as he tries to find his way through this new reality, torn between his human attachment to others and his new and urgent physical needs, and Ishida plays it out nicely with a carefully constructed subculture of ghouls as well as the increasing threat from the human investigators.
And now for the spinoffs:

Fairy Girls, Vol. 1, by BOKU and Hiro Mashima
The ladies take the lead in this collection of Fairy Tail stories featuring Erza, Wendy, Lucy, and Juvia. Expect plenty of shonen action in the spirit of the original in this series; if you’re in the market for shoujo Fairy Tail stories, check out Fairy Tail: Blue Mistral.

Avatar the Last Airbender: Smoke and Shadow, Part 1, by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru
Not quite manga, but certainly manga-ish, this is the latest in a series of stories set in the world of the TV series—this particular volume, the first of a three-volume story arc, is set in the Fire Kingdom. Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese, Boxers and Saints) is doing a nice job of extending the story, and the full-color art by the Japanese team Gurihiru is delightful.

Final Fantasy Type-0, by Takatoshi Shiozawa, Hiroki Chiba, and Tetsuya Nomura
For fans of the Final Fantasy Type-0 role-playing game, this volume is a treat, with four short stories starring Akademeia’s Class Zero cadets fighting an array of mechs and monsters. The art is clean and easy to follow, but the stories will make more sense to those who already know the world and the characters.
What manga are you looking forward to this month?