The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 8 | By Aya Shouoto | VIZ Media – Even though they both involve a girl with modest spiritual powers and a sexy, white-haired, fox-eared ayakashi guy, The Demon Prince of Momochi House is quite a distinct entity from Kamisama Kiss. That said, this volume’s plotline is somewhat reminiscent, as Himari goes in search of Aoi’s past in order to help him with a present predicament. What she finds out is quite sad, as readers likely expected, but the part I liked the best was when she was presented with the choice to either delve into Aoi’s past or her own. After indulging in a single pang for the things she was passing up, she chooses Aoi without hesitation. I always seem to say that this is Shouto’s best series by far, but it continues to be true. – Michelle Smith
Domestic Girlfriend, Vol. 1 | By Kei Sasuga | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – This manga begins with the hero losing his virginity to a girl he just met, a somewhat unusual start for a romantic drama. Said hero, Natsuo, has a crush on his young teacher, and hopes this might get it out of his system. He then finds out that his father is remarrying, and the new wife is bringing along her two daughters. If you guessed the girl he slept with, one point, but you get ten points if you guessed that the teacher is ALSO now part of his family. And so begins a torrid soap opera of a manga. I found it worked best when not focused on the romance—Natsuo’s attempts to help stoic Rui make friends was hilarious, as was his dramatization of two people having an affair. A decent start, recommended for those who like more mature titles. – Sean Gaffney
Kuroko’s Basketball, Vols. 9-10 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | Viz Media – There’s a lot of character development in this omnibus—everyone’s trying to improve, even Kuroko, who’s practicing a secret move. We also get even more new characters, one of whom thankfully has long hair so I can easily pick him out from all of the crew-cut guys in this series. The sports manga cliches are all present and correct, but they’re well done—one of the best ways to tell a sports manga is exceptional is that you care equally whether they’re in a game or not. The game provides the cliffhanger, though, as Seirin gets a rematch with Shutoku and we find out that Midorima has been working on improving as well. Each volume seems to coincide with a desperate cliffhanger—bring on the next one. – Sean Gaffney
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 23 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – I knew we’d get more flashback here, but I wasn’t aware it would take up all of this volume (and presumably some of the next). In addition to hooking up Solomon and Sheba (who no doubt have Aladdin as their child), a romance that is honestly a bit rushed and underdeveloped, we also get discussion of the difference between a strong leader who rules with the will of the people and a king who rules by fiat. Solomon wants to avoid becoming power mad, a good lesson to learn, and is not being helped by everyone asking him to essentially be their chosen one. Meanwhile, David is still around, and not quite dead. A lot of good stuff, and even a bit of humor, but I’m wanting to get back to our main cast. – Sean Gaffney
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 23 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | VIZ Media – Aladdin’s tale of the fate of Alma Tran continues. Solomon was the son of King David, an arrogant and authoritarian ruler, and desperately did not want to become like him. He strove to unite all species, aided by several faithful companions, including powerful magician girl named Sheba who falls in love with him. In time, he ends up reluctantly accepting the mantle of kinghood, and fathers a child with Sheba who I am assuming will turn out to be Aladdin. It’s not that it isn’t a compelling story, but it drags in spots when delving into deep discussions of rukh, and it still isn’t over, as the volume ends on a cliffhanger. I continue to be impressed with how complex Magi is for a shounen manga, but this might be a better volume to read when you’ve got the next one handy. – Michelle Smith
Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn, Vol. 7 | By Shirow Masamune and Rikudou Koushi | Seven Seas – Lots of action this time round means less wacky fanservice comedy, though there is an “activation” sequence, and the villain finds that opening what he thinks is the final firewall to what he wants merely uploads Buer’s upskirt pics to the entire world. Fortunately, most of it really is the cool action sequences, which are reasonably well done and clever, and show strong heroes and easy-to-hate villains. Lots of amusing cameos as well—in addition to Kabapu and his secretary as always, I saw “Sader” at one point, as well as Tatsuya and Miyuki from Mahouka. Pandora will always be a combination of mecha (Shirow), fanservice (both authors), and whatever the heck Rikdou wants to do. Pandora is Pandora. – Sean Gaffney