Candy Color Paradox, Vol. 2 | By Isaku Natsume | SuBLime – I liked this volume of Candy Color Paradox more than I expected to, which was a pleasant surprise. When Kaburagi’s sister, whom he hasn’t seen in eight years, turns up, it at first seems like Onoe is going to go along with her suggestions to take Kaburagi down a peg, but he resists and attempts to reconcile the siblings instead. Next, to keep Kaburagi from having to do one of the deceitful assignments he occasionally undertakes to get a big scoop, Onoe does it instead, leading Kaburagi to treat him coldly for a while—since the major reason he likes Onoe is that he is largely incapable of deception—until they finally talk it out. In her author’s notes, Natsume-sensei says this was originally intended to be the final volume, and it certainly feels that way. I’m not sure we need more, but I reckon I’m intrigued enough to continue. – Michelle Smith
Dead Mount Death Play, Vol. 2 | By Ryohgo Narita and Shinta Fujimoto | Yen Press – Given this is from the author of Baccano! and Durarara!!, a certain amount of crazy antics are expected, but it really boggles the mind how bonkers this series gets, particularly its strange obsession with sharks. We also get introduced to a possessed mechanical pencil, but the bulk of the volume is spent realizing that Polka’s family is still around and has its own issues, and that the Corpse God needs to deal with those if he’s going to continue to use said body as he sees fit. This includes saving the lives of two supposedly creepy but actually really sweet twins—twins appear in Narita’s works a lot. There’s some nasty gore here, as you’d also expect, but I really am liking this title more now. – Sean Gaffney
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 36 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – I sense the author may be feeling a little bad about all the times that she’s made Alibaba the laughingstock of the manga, given how much he’s praised in this volume. We continue to truck along with the final confrontation, as Sinbad agrees to Alibaba’s suggestion… but David is not taking this lying down, leading to a very funny “no, it is I who am controlling you!” war. That said, it’s a little hard to save the world when everyone in the world wants to die and thinks you’re traitors, which is the situation we end up with in the second half. I admit I am rather annoyed that Morgiana is not participating in this final battle, and given that the next volume is the last I don’t see that changing. Will still get it to see how this overall very good series ends. – Sean Gaffney
Missions of Love, Vol. 17 | By Ema Toyama | Kodansha Comics – I’ll be honest, this is starting to feel pretty dragged out. Yukina having to reveal to Shigure that she writes cell phone novels and has been using her life (and his) as material is obviously the big climax, but we aren’t there yet, so instead we see Hisame back in jerk mode, as he tries to redo all the earlier scenes Yukina had with Shigure and “rewrite” those memories with ones featuring him. If nothing else, this shows off his own immaturity. As for Akira and Mami, they get a cliffhanger… I assume. We get a cliffhanger moment, but it’s only two-thirds through the book, and we cut back to Yukina for the rest. Is Akira dying? Confessing? Moving? In any case, perhaps because it comes out slower now, I am more weary of this potboiler. – Sean Gaffney
Monster and the Beast, Vol. 1 | By Renji | Yen Press – The genesis of Monster and the Beast is the result of Renji looking for a fantasy BL manga about a middle-aged man and a non-human, not finding any, and so deciding to simply create one. Cavo is the titular monster, a large and powerful but sensitive and kind-hearted demon who leads a lonely, isolated life since everyone is afraid of him. (Cavo is an absolute dear.) The beast in the title refers to Liam, a sexually insatiable man who doesn’t seem to have a fearful bone in his body and who delightedly hits on anyone and everyone regardless of gender or apparently even species. This tends to get him both out of and into a significant amount of trouble. Various circumstances bring the two together, Cavo acting as Liam’s protector and guide as he flees his pursuers. I’m curious to see how the drama and their so far chaste relationship develop. – Ash Brown
Monster and the Beast, Vol. 1 | By Renji | Yen Press – Theoretically this is the latest in a mini-manga genre we’ve seen of monsters and humans falling in love despite obvious differences. In reality, it turns out to be the latest in a different but equally popular genre, the uke being dragged around by the ridiculously charismatic seme. The uke in this case is the monster, who rescues Liam, a mature gentleman who looks like he stepped out of Ristorante Paradiso, and finds that Liam was in fact, trying to have a good time in the woods with the other men, but it was going badly. The reason to read the book is Liam, who is bisexual and loves to show it off, and the monster’s mind-blown reactions to him – as well as a bit of tortured desire. Not sure how this will play as an extended series, but I liked it. – Sean Gaffney
Tomo-chan Is a Girl!, Vol. 4 | By Fumita Yanagida | Seven Seas – There’s a lot of backstory in this book, as we find out how Tomo, Jun and Misuzu all met as kids, how Jun could easily mistake Tomo for a boy, and the bond that forms between them. Back in the present day, though, things are still in stasis, but that may change after a trip to the beach, which involves Tomo actually wearing a bikini top and doing things like licking ice cream off her shoulder, which gets Jun to realize that hey, maybe his tomboy friend who can kick his ass really IS a girl. The other reasons to read this series are Carol and Misuzu, who may have risen to become my favorite supporting characters in a manga. They bounce off each other so well. This is fantastic 4-koma. – Sean Gaffney
Whenever Our Eyes Meet…: A Women’s Love Anthology | By Various Artists | Yen Press – Typically, the characters in this women’s love anthology are professionals, like office workers, café owners, postal clerks, etc. Most of the stories are about the start of a relationship, be it through reuniting with a former coworker in a taxi cab or having a one-night stand turn up in the office the next morning or what have you. It’s pretty cute, but the problem is that the stories are far too short to get any real sense of the characters or for the formation of couples to mean much of anything. My favorite story involved the café owner and an artist, since they had unknowingly mutually inspired each other by being passionate about their work, and my least was the two-page (!) story about a married mother who cheats with a female part-timer. All in all, this just isn’t a keeper for me. – Michelle Smith