Emma vol 8: a collection of short stories about the supporting characters, with some follow-up for William and Emma.

Shirley: a Victorian era maid saga along the lines of Emma. Shirley is a different exploration of Emma's world with different characters.

I still have to get to my comic shop to pick up Emma v.7! >.

My comic shop retailer told me that he was ordered to destroy all copies of MPD-PSYCHO vol. 4 (which came out last week);

Was this the same anywhere else?
and
Does anyone know why this was so?

if you like uptight German intelligence officers and gay British aristocratic art theives this title is for you!

Sold.

Basically, if you're familiar with the anime, you'll find the characters and situations in the first half-dozen volumes familiar, and it wouldn't hurt to check out the first volume to see what you think.

I admit I've never read manga, but I enjoy the column. I like the brief reviews that give me a bit more insight into what's out there. No doubt some of these descriptions grab me. I just wish my local B&N carried more of the titles you mention. I really want to read the Corpse Delivery Service series that another blogger here was so high on.

So, even as someone on the outside of the manga world looking in, I find your column informative and extremely well-written.

Eventually I'll probably do a column on the best of shojo being published in the states and I know Skip Beat will be high up on that list! By volume 11 our main character has softened a bit but the title still remains true to its premise (she hasn't realized she's softened!)

I neither liked nor disliked the first volume of Welcome to the NHK so I haven't continued with the series although I have the novel waiting for me at home...just haven't had time to crack it open yet, sigh!

Excel Saga #17 (the first volume I haven't acquired in the original Japanese first--not that I can read it, but still...)
Love*Com #5 (not earth-shattering, but solidly entertaining shoujo romantic comedy)
Skip Beat! #11 (a series I didn't think I'd get into, because Shojo Beat's preview ended before the main character undergoes the life-changing revelation that the series hinges on, but that I picked up on a friend's recommendation. The main character's ignoble motives are a refreshing change, and it's an interesting entry in the comparatively small field of shoujo competition manga, although that fact may not be obvious at first)
Welcome to the NHK #6 (at some point; I have #5 but haven't read it yet. I think the shrinkwrap is probably a factor there)
Yakitate!! Japan #10

At some point I'll also be picking up the second volumes of the hardcover compilations of Battle Royale and Fruits Basket, as well. (I already own the originals, but I want to encourage this trend toward multi-volume compilation editions.)

I keep meaning to start on Emma as well, and I should probably do it while my Borders has the whole series. (There are some series I started late in their run, such as Beck, Chibi Vampire, and Kekkaishi, where I've been stuck for long periods due to gaps in my local bookstores' collections. I could order the volumes online, but if I made a habit of that I'd never stop...)

I love that you got the column in on time even after telling me you didn't think you would.

Good stuff, as usual, Danielle.