Bookshelf Briefs, 7/27/15

Michelle and Sean tackle a stack of manga from VIZ, Vertical, Kodansha, and Seven Seas.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel, Vol. 5 | By Ark Performance | Seven Seas – Last volume had a few flaws in it, but this one is nearly perfect, thanks to focusing on Haruna, who has rapidly become my favorite mental model. Stoic destroyer of worlds learning to deal with emotions and love is a classic trope because it always comes off so well, particularly if there’s also a lot of great scenes of things blowing up. The main plot also gets some fleshing out, with the Army and Navy battling for supremacy, and the old commanders who know what’s really going on trying to control them. and is there another, SECRET mental model who’s able to control the others (and apparently likes to sit in the middle of fields)? We’ll have to wait a while to find out, but as always, this is no average ‘girls are weapons’ series. -Sean Gaffney

The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 1 | By Aya Shouoto | VIZ Media –Sometimes it can be very difficult, with series with similar premises, to be able to separate the more familiar one from the new one in your mind. That’s particularly true for this new Aya Shouoto series, her third in North America, which has the spectre of Kamisama Kiss hovering over most of its first few pages. That said, Aoi seems more of the nice boy with tragedy in his life sort than the asshole with a heart of gold Tomoe is. I suspect that this series may get better after it’s got a few volumes under its belt, but right now it suffers from what many Vol. 1s suffer from: it’s not really grabbing me much. Actually, I had a similar issue with Kiss of the Rose Princess as well. -Sean Gaffney

The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 1 | By Aya Shouoto | VIZ Media –When sixteen-year-old orphan Himari Momochi receives a document informing her that she’s inherited an ancestral estate, she doesn’t question it. The house is the only tie she has to her parents, so she moves right in, whereupon she discovers a trio of bishounen squatters who are insistent that she leave as soon as possible. Himari is resolute, and eventually witnesses demonic activity aplenty culminating in the revelation that two-thirds of her house guests aren’t human and the one who is has taken on a terrible duty that might pass to her if she should linger overlong. This is the newest of the Aya Shouoto series currently being released in English, and is a more confident and accomplished work . I was reminded quite a bit of other series, and overall wish for a darker atmosphere, but I’m definitely intrigued and will check out volume two. – Michelle Smith

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 12 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | VIZ Media – This was a really cool and somewhat darker volume of Magi than we’ve seen in a while, and I loved quite a lot of it. The gang has returned from successfully vanquishing another dungeon, but an ambush by the evil Al-Thamen organization results in several of the good guys being cursed. This, in turn, leads to revelations not only about the extent and nature of Sinbad’s power, but also what he’s willing to do to cultivate allies in the fight to come. Aladdin senses his pawn status and decides to go off on his own, leaving a forlorn Alibaba behind, which is probably exactly what his friend needs in order to decide upon and commit to his own path. I’m really looking forward to what’s to come, even if it is a bit hard seeing an endearing character like Alibaba so sad and mystified by Aladdin’s actions. – Michelle Smith

My Love Story!!, Vol. 5 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | VIZ Media – There is, no surprise, much to like in the fifth volume of this charming shoujo romance. I loved how the would-be romantic rival (Saijo) is handled, with Yamato befriending the girl due to her excellent taste and Takeo immediately telling Yamato about the girl’s confession. I loved ever-observant Sunakawa being the first to catch on to and sympathize with Saijo’s plight. But I possibly most loved the chapter in which Takeo and Yamato attempt to make two of their friends into a couple as happy as they are, an endeavor which keeps getting bungled because the boy is a doofy and inept adolescent who says the wrong thing during crucial moments. Frustrating, sure, but more realistic than 99% of anything else we see in shoujo manga! Each new volume of this series makes me genuinely happy and I hope it continues for a long time to come! – Michelle Smith

Say “I Love You”, Vol. 8 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – While Say “I Love You” may be a bit more sexually explicit than its fellow shoujo manga out in North America, it’s still not quite ready yet to have its leads go all the way—and given Mei’s introvertedness and confidence issues, that may be for the best. Particularly as Megumi may be dealing with her own personal issues, but she isn’t going away now that we’ve had a cathartic crisis. A beauty contest involving many of the women in the series ends up being close, but does not give us the obvious come from behind victory we may have expected. All for the good, as I suspect this will lead to high drama when the next volume comes around. Oh, and Mei is back to frowning on the covers. -Sean Gaffney

Toriko, Vol. 28 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – As you might gather from the cover, we’re seeing tragic backstory here, giving us our elder heroes—including a young and ridiculously permed Jiro, heavy-browed Ichiryu, and head villain Midora as a bratty kid who almost starved to death before being taken in by mother figure Froese. (You’ll note Setsuno isn’t on the cover—I think her appearance as a cute twin-tailed sexy thing was left out to make the joke work better). It being tragic backstory, tragedy ensues—and we may get more to come, as I have a feeling a mentor or two may die soon to give our heroes resolve. Still lots of fighting, but I miss the food—will this epic battle be over soon? -Sean Gaffney

Twin Star Exorcists, Vol. 1 | By Yoshiaki Sukeno | Viz Media – This is in some ways the polar opposite of The Demon Prince of Momochi House, even if I came away with the same ‘meh’ feeling. In this case, I really like the premise, and the backgrounds of both leads are very well handled—particularly Rokuro. That said, the execution is somewhat lacking. The action scenes are well-handled, and probably a good reason to keep picking it up for those who like that—but the humor consistently falls flat, with our battle couple’s engagement being a hoary old cliche thrown into the mix. I suspect this will be the usual ‘they’re meant to be but can’t stop snapping at each other’ romance. Fans of Blue Exorcist might give this a shot, but it’s not as good as that series. -Sean Gaffney

UQ Holder, Vol. 5 | By Ken Akamatsu | Kodansha Comics – Fans of Negima may find this new volume even more familiar than usual, as the new assignment for our heroes takes them back to Mahora Academy, not looking a day older, even though it is many decades older. The boy you see screaming at us on the cover has the unfortunate name of Santa, and may be responsible for a series of horrible murders… or may not even be alive… but given his prominence on the cover and the cliffhanger I suspect he’ll end up being an ally before too long. Oh yes, there’s also Fate, explaining why he’s seemingly turned evil, and why he wants Tota to help him—which also leads to the best gag in the volume, courtesy ‘shipper’ Karin. If you like Akamatsu, you’ll like this. -Sean Gaffney

Voice Over!: Seiyu Academy, Vol. 11 | By Maki Minami | Viz Media – The biggest loose ends are still out there for Vol. 12, but one of the major ones wraps up here, as Hime answers Mizuki’s confession. It’s a pretty fine set of scenes, as she stresses out over how her obliviousness around him must have hurt him, and he responds very maturely, mostly as he knew she was already in love with Senri. This just leaves her secret identity and her own confession of love, which should drop like a bomb at the start of the next volume, if Sakura’s reappearance is anything to go by. Even Haruka is finally allowed to stop being the bullying mentor and show real affection. We wrap up next time, and I can’t wait—it should be sweet and funny. -Sean Gaffney

What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Vol. 9 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | Vertical, Inc. –One of the things I love best about What Did You Eat Yesterday? is how Yoshinaga shows us how Shiro’s cooking choices tell us about his feelings. In one chapter, Shiro’s going out for dinner with some lawyerly acquaintances, so the night before prepares a meal whose leftovers will taste even better the next day, when Kenji will be reheating it. In another, he recreates some of his mother’s recipes for a bento he and Kenji share for an evening hanami picnic, choosing that venue to confide to Kenji that she has cancer. This menu, and the preparation thereof, prompts Shiro to recognize the care his mother always put into preparing his school lunches and to voice his appreciation of her. Not everything is meaningful and deep, of course. The food was especially delicious-looking in this volume, especially those soy garlic chicken drumettes. Yes, please! – Michelle Smith

Yukarism, Vol. 3 | By Chika Shiomi | Viz Media – There’s only one new revelation in this third volume, but it’s a doozy, and likely sets up the climax for next time as past and present begin to collide, with potentially fatal results. In the meantime, the main reason to read Yukarism continues to be mood—the author has a way of painting both the Edo period and modern times so that you want to keep turning the pages even faster. In addition, Yumurasaki’s past and her emotional detachment are proving annoying to Yukari’s present, as he hurts Mahoro more than he realizes. Add into this the sometimes hilarious confrontations between Mahoro and Satomi, and you have an excellent Shojo Beat title. -Sean Gaffney

Yukarism, Vol. 3 | By Chika Shiomi | VIZ Media – I am enjoying Yukarism more and more with each volume and can scarcely believe I was ever on the fence about this series! Yukari becomes a much more vivid character when he decides to proactively seek information about his present-day companions, Satomi and Mahoro, as well as the figures from his past. In so doing, he makes some discoveries that the readers had already surmised, but that doesn’t make them any less affecting—the moment when Yukari works out with certainty who Satomi is gave me goosebumps! And that shows what’s really the key ingredient here—Shiomi is handling this series wonderfully, pacing out revelations at satisfying intervals, and leaving readers with a surprise cliffhanger that makes me even more desperate for the final volume than before. – Michelle Smith