UPDATED POLL, PLEASE VOTE AGAIN - Next Series to Read for Book Club - (Shoujo/Vibesy edition)

EDIT: PLEASE UPDATE YOUR VOTES IF YOU VOTED FOR UTENA

It's come to our attention that the manga for Revolutionary Girl Utena is both very difficult to find in English and also has a dubious reputation among fans of the series for a variety of reasons, namely for being a slightly different take on the series and, critically, less gay. SMH. It seems it would be best to read it as part of a holistic look at the franchise including the anime, which is a little outside the scope of this book club. As such, we'll be taking Utena off the poll.

I cannot update the poll on this post without deleting it and starting over, so instead of Utena the fourth option will now be Rose of Versailles.

If you would like to vote for Rose of Versailles, please click the Utena option below.

It's time once again to pick the next manga we'll be covering in our Patreon book club!

Up until this point we've mostly focused on series with big action/adventure/shonen/thriller elements, so Aloha and I want to shift gears and read something lighter. We've selected four options that are either shoujo or slice of life.

For those new to the Patreon, book club meets every two weeks (usually on weekends). We assign a number of volumes to read, everyone goes their separate ways, finds a place to read the series in question, and then we come back and talk about it. Fun! Previously we've covered Golden Kamuy, Pluto, Dungeon Meshi, Pokemon Adventures, and other stuff.

I've put some images and basic descriptions of each of the four options below.

Please vote for the option you are most interested in reading at the bottom of this post. The poll will close on Sunday the 20th and we will schedule the first meeting afterwards.

Orange (2012) - 7 Volumes

One morning, Naho Takamiya receives a letter in the mail claiming to be from herself 10 years in the future. The letter reveals a series of events that are supposed to take place that day. At first, Naho thinks it's just a prank; but when the letter mentions a transfer student named Kakeru Naruse, who really does end up transferring into her class later that day, she is forced to believe in its contents.

As Naho continues to read the letter, her future self mentions several regrets, urging Naho to take the right decisions now. Somehow these regrets all seem to be connected to Kakeru, and with the burden of the knowledge that the boy wouldn't be with her and her friends in the future, will Naho be able to make the perfect choices that will alter what seems to be fate?

AQUA (2001) - 2 Volumes, and its sequel ARIA - 12 Volumes

The year is 2301, one hundred and fifty years since terraforming operations began on the planet Aqua—formerly known as Mars—causing it to be almost entirely covered with water. Aqua's capital, Neo-Venezia, is a near-perfect copy of the city of Venice back on Manhome—previously known as Earth. Citizens and tourists alike take their time exploring the city and admiring its rustic charm, especially by riding one of the many gondolas gliding along the waterways.

Chasing her dream of becoming a tour guide of Neo-Venezia (called an undine), Manhome native Akari Mizunashi begins her training as an apprentice at the Aria Company.

Yokohama Shopping Log (1994) - 14 Volumes

Set in a peaceful, post-cataclysmic world where mankind is in decline after an environmental disaster. Exactly what happened is never explained, but sea levels have risen significantly and climate change has occurred. The reduced human population has reverted to a simpler life, and the reader is told this is the twilight of the human age. Instead of raging against their fate, humans have quietly accepted it.

Alpha Hatsuseno is an android who runs an out-of-the-way coffee shop, Café Alpha, on the lonely coast while her human "owner" is on a trip of indefinite length. Though she spends much of her time alone, Alpha is cheerful, gregarious, and—unlike the slowly declining humans—immortal.

Most chapters are self-contained slice-of-life episodes depicting Alpha in daily activities, either alone, with customers, or on occasional trips through the countryside or into Yokohama for supplies. Whole chapters are devoted to brewing coffee, taking photographs, or repairing a tiny model aircraft engine, sometimes with only a few lines of dialogue. Through Alpha's experiences, the author brings out the small wonders of everyday life and makes the reader aware of their passing: the aircraft engine runs out of fuel; her scooter breaks down; the rising ocean encroaches on her coffee shop; the neighborhood children she loves grow up and move away. In evoking a nostalgia for this loss, Ashinano follows the Japanese tradition of mono no aware (sadness for the transience of things).

Rose of Versailles (1973 👵) - 14 Volumes

A historical fiction and one of the most influential series of all time, particularly for "Lady Oscar" who basically invented the "princely girl" trope.

In a time of class stratification and rising tensions amongst the impoverished population, the Austrian Empire sends Princess Marie Antoinette to France to be wed to Crown Prince Louis XVI. The political marriage is arranged to strengthen the alliance between both countries, but the future queen is deeply unsatisfied with her fate being decided for her. Upon arrival in the country, Marie Antoinette is acquainted with Oscar Fançois de Jarjayes—Commander of the Royal Guard.

Due to her father's desire for a son, Oscar is raised as a boy with an expectation to inherit his title as The Commander. As Oscar reluctantly serves the young, spoiled queen, the growing resentment and suffering of the poor become harder for her to ignore—especially when Marie Antoinette frivolously spends her wealth.

If you would like to cast your vote for Rose of Versailles, please click the "Utena" button below.