Hot Milk

Mangaka: Kenji Nagatomo
Genre: shounen, comedy

Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Meruo Kitajima owns Hot Milk Convenience Store, a service-oriented business in which she does chores, runs errands, and anything else it takes to help other people. Kind-hearted as she is, her fearlessness and naiveté often gets her in dangerous situations, much to the dismay of her bodyguard Fumioshi Saruno. Apparently, Meruo is the sole grandchild of one of the richest and most powerful men in Japan and Saruno must keep her safe at all costs, lest he suffer the wrath of Meruo's grandpa.

Comments: Hot Milk has a mildy humorous and interesting storyline, although I felt that the ending was rushed and too abrupt.

Warning: may get a little perverted at times

Scanlator: all 2 volumes have been scanlated by Anime Waves

Hamster Research Report

「ハムスターの研究レポート」
Mangaka: Ohyuki Shiwasu
Genre: whimsical, comedy

Synopsis: Hamster Research Report is a manual for hamster owners. By using his own personal experiences with his pet Chibisuke, the author covers topics such as anatomy, physiology, and behavior.

Comments: Don't expect to see a solid story since the manga is simply a how-to guide, nothing more. HRR reeks of cuteness so if you're not particularly into adorable furry creatures or if you're not exactly an animal person, HRR might not interest you. But if you do happen to own a hamster, or any other pet for that matter, this informative manga might teach you a thing or two about keeping your pet happy.

Scanlator: Random Manga Trans

Monster

Mangaka: Naoki Urasawa
Genre: seinen, murder/mystery

Synopsis: Dr. Kenzou Tenma is the genius Japanese chief neurosurgeon at Eisler Memorial at Dusseldorf, Germany. The hospital's director's daughter, Eva Heinemann, is his fiancee. But one day, against the Director's wishes, instead of tending to the City Mayor, he operates on a little boy who needed his help more, having a gunshot wound to the head. With this transgression, he loses his position and his girlfriend. When the Director and two other doctors die, investigators turn their eyes on him. Dr. Tenma must prove his innocence but where does he start looking for clues? Could it be that the little boy he operated on, the one life he wan't supposed to save, had a hand in all these?

Comments: Monster is gripping, suspenseful; it's difficult to put down once you start. The hunt drags on and on across Germany to the Czech Republic and back for all 18 volumes though, and that may be tiring for some. Touching on eugenics, neo-Nazism, criminal psychology, politics, et cetera, this dark story is rich and complex and has so many turns, be careful not to get lost.

Monster has an anime version, too.

Warnings: a little nudity, lots of violence

Scanlator: all 18 volumes have been scanlated by Mangascreener