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I Saved Too Many Girls and Caused the Apocalypse, Vol. 9

By Namekojirushi and Nao Watanuki. Released in Japan as “Ore ga Heroine o Tasukesugite Sekai ga Little Mokushiroku!?” by Hobby Japan. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Mana Z. Eventually this series is simply going to have to run out of stereotypical heroines to stack on to Rekka’s pile. We’re down to two – well, one, really, but I have my suspicions about the other – in this book, and the cracks are starting to show – I’m OK with beloved childhood friend, but beloved childhood PET? Yes, turns out the cat was a cat yokai of some sort, and now She Is All Grown Up and everything. Of course, she still acts like a cat. Her story is probably the weakest in the book, actually,…

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Shortcake Cake, Vol. 1

Shortcake Cake, Volume 1 by suu Morishita I’m always up for more shoujo series, and Shortcake Cake starts off with a very promising first volume. The story begins with Ten Serizawa dealing with her daily 2 hour commute to school. She gets up early and naps on the bus. But as she hangs out with her school friends, she begins to realize that her commitment to the commute means that she can’t take part in after school gatherings with her new classmates, as she has to keep checking the time to be sure she’s able to catch the last bus back to her more rural home. Ten’s friend Ageha points out how much easier it would be if Ten moved in to her boardinghouse. Ageha sneaks Ten in one day…

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Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter, Vol. 1

By Suki Umemiya and Reia. Released in Japan as “Koushaku Reijou no Tashinami” by Kadokawa Shoten, serialization ongoing in the magazine Young Ace Up. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Angela Liu. Adapted by Tracy Barnett. There has been a bit of a backlash online about the constant flow of “isekai” stories into North America in the past few years. Of course, that’s because they’re incredibly popular in Japan. Indeed, they seem to be so popular in Japan that we’re starting to see authors who have an idea of a story that need not involve an isekai try to shoehorn it in anyway to get readers. This is a good example of it. Now, I may be wrong – it’s taken from a light novel that is…

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Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest, Vol. 7

By Ryo Shirakome and Takayaki. Released in Japan as “Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou” by Overlap. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Ningen. I’ve talked before about Hajime as Christ figure, and Hajime as simply another example of the overpowered hero going after the kids that bullied the author in middle school, but in this book it’s also worth taking a look at something that has remained a core part of Hajime’s character despite every possible attempt to extract it: Hajime the nerd. (Yes, yes, I know, chuuni. I never saw that anime, so feel uncomfortable using the expression.) Hajime’s inner monologue has had the occasional taste of otaku culture throughout the series, but this volume really sees it in full flower. When he’s in the…

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Manga the Week of 8/22/18

SEAN: Let’s face it, even without Yen Press this would be a really heavy week. With Yen it’s absolutely terrifying. But first, the non-Yen offerings. Dark Horse gives us the first Gantz omnibus, in case you want to catch up on your lycra. Haikasoru has the 7th volume of Legend of Galactic Heroes. If it’s the one I think it is, oh dear. MICHELLE: Someday, I really will read these. My intentions are good! ANNA: I have good intentions about reading this as well. ASH: I’m a few volumes behind, but I’ve been enjoying them! J-Novel Club announced a bunch of stuff at Anime Expo, and this is what I was most excited about. I loved the Kokoro Connect manga when it came out years ago, and wished we could…

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Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 13

By Mizuho Kusanagi. Released in Japan as “Akatsuki no Yona” by Hakusensha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Hana to Yume. Released in North America by Viz. Translated by JN Productions, Adapted by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane. As we watch Yona and her bunch wandering through the nations doing good and saving people, it would be all too easy to cut back to the usurpers back at the palace and make them simple, cookie-cutter antagonists. But one reason that Yona of the Dawn is so strong is that Su-Won is not a cookie-cutter antagonist. In fact, the reader might occasionally be thinking to themselves, “You know, Su-Won being king may actually be a very good thing?” Yona is dealing with the world at the lowest level, going from small village to small…

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Me, a Genius? I Was Reborn into Another World and I Think They’ve Got the Wrong Idea!, Vol. 3

By Nyun and Sakana. Released in Japan as “Isekai ni Tensei Shitandakedo Ore, Tensai tte Kanchigai Saretenai?” by Overlap, Inc. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Shaun Cook. Of all the places for Me, a Genius? to go in its third volume, I was not expecting it to go here. Note that I’m not talking about it suddenly becoming a tense techno-thriller a la Tom Clancy – given the fact that we spent much of the second volume in a cod-fantasy world, I barely raised an eyebrow to see that we’re suddenly back in Kouki’s home world and taking on Russians and international terrorist organizations. No, the main thing I wasn’t expecting was that Me, a Genius has gotten rid of the humor. You might argue…

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Bookshelf Briefs 8/14/18

Black Clover, Vol. 12 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – Boy, that wrapped up fast, didn’t it? This is very much a breather volume of Black Clover, and some of the conflict resolution is laughable–the Queen of Witches basically just walks away, and there’s even time to cure Kahono and Kiato (which is good, as Kahono works 100% better as a teasing (and talking)) girl who ships Asta/Noelle. More importantly, the Black Bulls are now the second-most-powerful guild. This… displeases some of the other guilds, and leads to a hot spring on top of a mountain of lava–something that only those with magic can climb. Sucks to be Asta, but guess what? He finds a way anyway. Black Clover is highly enjoyable given its negative originality, and I’m…

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The Manga Revue, 8/13/18

There are two kinds of people: those who like to camp, and those who don’t. I fall squarely in the second category — not because I hate the great outdoors, but because I’m fond of hot showers and comfy beds. Still, the prospect of reading a manga about camping intrigued me: is camping popular in Japan? Is the s’more a hit in Japan, too? And what about bears? Laid-Back Camp didn’t answer all of my questions, but it definitely earned a spot on my pull list. Read on for details. Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 1 Story and Art by Afro Translation by Amber Tamosaitis Yen Press, 178 pp. Rated T, for Teen Laid-Back Camp may be the most quintessentially Japanese thing I’ve read this year: it features cute girls doing cute things while…

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