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金魚屋古書店 #3
Kingyo Used Books, Vol. 3
This manga bookstore has a thousand stories to tell.
If a manga volume exists, you can find it at Kingyo Used Books. But Kingyo is more than just a typical used bookstore—it’s a place where human relationships are treated as the most valuable stories of all. Natsuki, the store’s interim manager, and Shiba, the manga maniac who loves her, help both their regular patrons and random customers in a series of linked tales built around actual manga series ranging from the popular to the esoteric.
In this volume: A manga collection featuring beautifully frightening horror stories piques the interest of a cowardly pick-up artist. Reading about an attractive soldier battling evil inspires a young woman to upgrade her wardrobe. A manga about the wandering travels of lone ninja and swordsmen raises the question, "What is fate?" A practical home-style cooking manga provides eating suggestions for a woman looking to expand her nightly menu. A man sets out to find a specific globe-trotting adventure manga.
If a manga volume exists, you can find it at Kingyo Used Books. But Kingyo is more than just a typical used bookstore—it’s a place where human relationships are treated as the most valuable stories of all. Natsuki, the store’s interim manager, and Shiba, the manga maniac who loves her, help both their regular patrons and random customers in a series of linked tales built around actual manga series ranging from the popular to the esoteric.
In this volume: A manga collection featuring beautifully frightening horror stories piques the interest of a cowardly pick-up artist. Reading about an attractive soldier battling evil inspires a young woman to upgrade her wardrobe. A manga about the wandering travels of lone ninja and swordsmen raises the question, "What is fate?" A practical home-style cooking manga provides eating suggestions for a woman looking to expand her nightly menu. A man sets out to find a specific globe-trotting adventure manga.
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 2006
58 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 13 reviews
August 10, 2015
I think this was the least interesting book in the series. This is a series of feel-good stories and manga changing your life for the better. None of the stories in volume 3 moved me in the way that they had in the first volume.
September 7, 2022
This is an odd series. Each story is a story that connects to or involves manga, especially older series. Within the stories I've read so far, Ranma 1/2 is probably the newest manga series involved in the tales told here. Most are from the 1950s through the 1970s.
The store itself is often at the heart of the tales, and it would be fascinating to wander around in the huge basement of that store, as it is shown. The entire store consists of used manga volumes, but in such huge numbers that it's amazing. I don't know of a comparable store in the U.S., in terms of being a "used graphic novel" store, but who knows?
Actually, one of the stories in this volume wanders to other lands, far from Japan, in a story that was far more moving than it was believable, but other stories involved emotional reactions to manga stories, and those were really interesting. I do wish that the "Cooking Papa" manga was more available, as it sounds interesting.
The store itself is often at the heart of the tales, and it would be fascinating to wander around in the huge basement of that store, as it is shown. The entire store consists of used manga volumes, but in such huge numbers that it's amazing. I don't know of a comparable store in the U.S., in terms of being a "used graphic novel" store, but who knows?
Actually, one of the stories in this volume wanders to other lands, far from Japan, in a story that was far more moving than it was believable, but other stories involved emotional reactions to manga stories, and those were really interesting. I do wish that the "Cooking Papa" manga was more available, as it sounds interesting.
June 22, 2021
This volume brings back some characters we've met in previous stories, including a young artist who struggles with her craft and the two sedori whose relationship might be more than professional. We also get a story about classic horror manga and the unexpected people who love it and a two part story about a young man who takes over a lending library and seeks to get it all in order.
February 26, 2023
This is the third volume of this series that I have read; each better than the preceding volume. Each chapter relates to a historic manga that is described in the back. My advice is that the reader read the section in the back before reading the corresponding chapter.
February 6, 2024
In this volume we finally get to learn about Sailor Moon! My favorite manga I hadn't heard of is Cooking Papa. I also forgot to mention in earlier volume reviews how much manga culture is explained within this series. Very enlightening.
October 9, 2018
This is such a comfy series. Just sit back and read some manga about manga lovers, for manga lovers, by a manga lover.
October 19, 2020
He disfrutado mucho de este volumen.
June 19, 2011
As in every volume, it's fascinating to read about the various classics that haven't made it over to the west. I still like the twist of the single slice-of-life stories of how they impact on the various readers.
I don't think the slight fantasy twist of the endless book shelves below the Kingyo store works that well or was necessary, but oh well. It was nice to revisit the influence of Sailor Moon in this volume, especially since it was the first anime that I knew was an anime I ever saw on German TV (the others were masterpiece theatre childrens books productions and we didn't know they were from Japan).
My second favourite story was probably the group of men meeting at the zoo, sharing the same manga ^^. My favourite one was reading about how Tome-san became a sedori and what he did as a young man - not to mention they have Jiro Taniguchi in that episode. The episode of how he and Ayu-san got together was just cute, too ^^.
The Nekotama-do episodes, especially the second one, where the new owner flies out of Japan repeatedly in search of ONE unreturned volume and its fees. Well, that was weird ^^.
I don't think the slight fantasy twist of the endless book shelves below the Kingyo store works that well or was necessary, but oh well. It was nice to revisit the influence of Sailor Moon in this volume, especially since it was the first anime that I knew was an anime I ever saw on German TV (the others were masterpiece theatre childrens books productions and we didn't know they were from Japan).
My second favourite story was probably the group of men meeting at the zoo, sharing the same manga ^^. My favourite one was reading about how Tome-san became a sedori and what he did as a young man - not to mention they have Jiro Taniguchi in that episode. The episode of how he and Ayu-san got together was just cute, too ^^.
The Nekotama-do episodes, especially the second one, where the new owner flies out of Japan repeatedly in search of ONE unreturned volume and its fees. Well, that was weird ^^.
July 9, 2011
Ah, life continues at Kingyo Used Books. Customers come and go, somehow stumbling on just the manga they need for that moment. I missed the "Sailor Moon" generation completely, but I can appreciate the sentiment behind that chapter the most. Sometimes rereading an old friend is the best way to cheer me up. I loved the lending library and sedori chapters as well. Okadome & Ayu are my favorite Kingyo characters, so it's nice to see their feelings come front and center. And I want to read that "Lonely Gourmet" book -- Jiro Taniguchi draws such beautiful slice of life series, so imagining that with food and restaurants -- heaven! Such is the fun/despair of Kingyo -- discovering new books you may never read.
July 1, 2011
The first book was still my favorite in terms of nostalgia and emotion, but this series continues to provide solid entertaining stories of how manga is a part of so many peoples' lives.
October 25, 2014
this volume made me super happy. it is friday, it is sunny, and seimu yoshizaki understands how manga can change and inspire you. all is well in my world.
5 stars
5 stars
Displaying 1 - 12 of 13 reviews