Caste Heaven, Vol. 1 | By Chise Ogawa | SuBLime – I have to wonder why I read this. The warning signs are right there on the back cover—once the ruthless king of his class’s secret social hierarchy, Yuya Azusa is dethroned and given a choice to “become the new king’s plaything… or service the entire class!” I had hoped for more psychological suspense, perhaps, but instead there is sexual assault (that the protagonist later says he enjoyed), threat of more sexual assault, several scenes in which the sadistic new king (a rich kid named Karino) inserts foreign objects into Azusa’s orifices, and once-proud Azusa growing clingy and desperate. The last two chapters are about a different pair who seem to have a healthier relationship, but the main story so put me on edge I kept waiting for the double-cross to happen. I’m still not convinced it won’t, but that doesn’t really matter as I likely won’t be reading further. – Michelle Smith
Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku, Vol. 1 | By Yuji Kaku | Viz Media – Gabimaru is a notorious assassin whose ninjitsu skills are so great that he’s nearly immortal. Unfortunately for him, that means he spends most of the first chapter of Hell’s Paradise being subjected to (and surviving) a series of increasingly gruesome executions. His death sentence is temporarily stayed by a highly skilled swordswoman who offers him an opportunity to earn a full pardon for his crimes. If Gabimaru can find and retrieve the elixir of life for the shogun, he will be released. But he’ll also be in direct competition with other convicts and not everything is as it seems. There are many aspects of Hell’s Paradise that I found reminiscent of Hiroaki Samura’s Blade of the Immortal (a manga that holds a special place in my heart), so it’s probably not too surprising that Kaku’s series appeals to me. I’m very curious to see where it goes from here. – Ash Brown
Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku, Vol. 1 | By Yuji Kaku | VIZ Media – I’m not ordinarily drawn to grim-looking Edo period manga with ninjas in it, but something about Hell’s Paradise intrigued me (maybe it was simply that striking cover) and, ultimately, I’m extremely glad I gave it a chance! The infamous assassin Gabimaru the Hollow always thought he felt no emotions until his wife proved otherwise. Set up by his clan for daring to want to leave their lifestyle, Gabimaru is sentenced to death, though he keeps resisting the various execution methods that are attempted. When he’s offered the chance of a pardon—and the chance to reunite with his wife and pursue a simple life together—he accepts, even if it means journeying to a mysterious island with a bunch of other bloodthirsty criminals in search of an elixir of immortality for the shogun. This is a pretty fascinating, if grisly, premise, and I’m very keen to see how it develops! – Michelle Smith
Himouto! Umaru-chan, Vol. 9 | By Sankakuhead | Seven Seas – Again, the basic theme of this series, which otherwise tends to run on “cute girls doing cute things,” is that sometimes you need to grow up and mature, even though it can be hard… but it doesn’t have to be right away. This can also sometimes lead to odd continuity—there’s a brief moment where Umaru imagines her brother moving out one day, and he’s clearly meant to be seen with Ebina… only Umaru doesn’t seem to have realized Ebina’s crush on her brother in reality. Despite that, this is another fun, fluffy volume in the series, with gags about trying (and failing) to cook, buying furniture, and being a bit nicer to your brother even though you think he’s a creep (that last is for Kirie). Fans should enjoy it. – Sean Gaffney
The Ideal Sponger Life, Vol. 5 | By Tsunehiko Watanabe and Neko Hinotsuki | Seven Seas – As ever with this series, the so-called “romantic rival” introduced at the end of the last volume, isn’t one at all, mostly becaase Zenjiro is still completely besotted with his bride, polygamy or no. The politics remains the reason to read this, and while our hero is getting better at it, he still screws up on occasion. He’s also up against a master, as seen on the cover, a goofy and over-the-top prince sort who is in reality using that as a front… but it’s so much a part of him that it’s very hard to tell the difference even if you’re an expert. As for Bona, she genuinely does bond with Zenjiro right away, causing Aura to get a bit jealous. Something might eventually come of that, but for the moment the series is content to be about glass and politics and not about haremettes. – Sean Gaffney
I’ll Win You Over, Sempai!, Vol. 3 | By Shin Shimoto | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – This is the story of a relentlessly positive girl (Koharu, who refuses to be rejected by her crush and so confesses to him day after day) and the tsundere object of her affections (Kanzaki-sempai, who repeatedly shoots her down). When I embarked upon this series, I thought it might be annoying and was delighted to instead find that I love it to pieces! Kanzaki-sempai is quirky and prickly yet also compassionate and Koharu truly cares about his happiness more than her own. In volume three, Kanzaki-sempai advises Koharu when her childhood friend confesses his love for her. There are many sweet moments where the main couple shows they really get each other, and though I do not love how often he calls her a moron, I’m still enjoying this series very much overall. Only two volumes to go, alas! – Michelle Smith
Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 6 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – It’s good to see that although Komi is starting to make friends and get her thoughts across to people… even if it’s only just Tadano… she still has an amazing amount of difficulty with communication—the title is not any less wrong in the sixth book than it was in the first. Given that just talking to others is tough, karaoke proves a shivering nightmare, and even clothes shopping with her equally-bad-at-extroversion father is tough. As for the rest of the cast, well, the three guys who discuss which girl would be best as a girlfriend would be a bit creepy if it weren’t also pretty wholesome, and we meet a new guy who has resting thug face, so also has trouble communicating to people. Fun comedy. – Sean Gaffney
Ran the Peerless Beauty, Vol. 7 | By Ammitsu | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Since I last briefed Ran the Peerless Beauty, not only has she gotten together with Akira, but we’ve even had the first female rival come and go. This volume is mostly about the first male rival, and I will admit he can be hard to take—he’s very blunt in the fact that he likes Ran, and tries to force a kiss on her at one point (she deflects him), so the reader is really not loving him. He also has a past with Akira that we’re starting to find out about, and comes from a farm/greenhouse family environment, so his story will continue to tie into the flowers motif. I admit it’s probably a good thing we have him, as Ran and Akira are so soggily sweet that they’re best taken in short, adorable doses. – Sean Gaffney
Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 11 | By Kagiji Kumanomata | Viz Media – I also seem to have missed briefing the tenth volume of this. I’m sure it was funny, because this one is quite funny. The jokes are no longer “how does Syalis sleep,” though the final page does still end most chapters on her settling down for the night. Sometimes we see stressed-out demons ashamed she’ll see their old cringey photos. Sometimes it’s about Syalis trying to give out Valentine’s chocolates and not understanding the meaning of the word embarrassment. And in the funniest chapters, it IS about her sleeping, as she accidentally ingests some demonic No-Doz and also tries to have a “typical” girls’ pajama party that isn’t typical at all. I love this series. – Sean Gaffney
Something’s Wrong with Us, Vol. 1 | By Natsumi Ando | Kodansha Comics – Remembering my disappointment with the finale of Arisa, I wasn’t sure how I would like Something’s Wrong with Us, Natsumi Ando’s foray into josei suspense. Happily, I enjoyed it quite a bit! Our protagonist is Nao Hanaoka, a 21-year-old confectioner whose mother was accused of murder fifteen years ago and died while on trial for the crime. After Nao receives a note proclaiming her mother’s innocence, she’s willing to do anything to gain access to the renowned confectionary where it all happened and find out the truth, including agreeing to marry Tsubaki Takatsuki, who as a boy was the one to accuse her mother in the first place. She thinks that neither Tsubaki nor his cold and calculating mother recognize her—they knew her under a different name—but is that really the case? I hope the rest of the series is as fun as the first volume. – Michelle Smith
Teasing Master Takagi-san, Vol. 8 | By Soichiro Yamamoto | Yen Press – This series has proven that it works at its best when there’s more structure or more at stake. This isn’t to say that the chapters that are just “there’s a thing, Nishikata challenges Takagi, he loses, she teases him” aren’t funny and cute, because they are. But sometimes things get better when there’s a bit more than that, such as the start of this volume, which has… no, not the festival that was implied at the end of last time—not sure where that went… but Valentine’s Day, showing off Takagi having fun torturing Nishikata all day before and confessing in such a way that he would get a real answer if he manned up but he doesn’t. And as usual, Nishikata wins when he doesn’t try, like rock skipping. My favorite “teasing girl” series. – Sean Gaffney