Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You, Vol. 2 | By Haruka Mitsui | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – For the most part Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You is your standard shoujo romance manga. Somewhat derpy protagonist is surrounded by several male childhood friends who have all grown into bishounen, and two of them have feelings for her. She, of course, is clueless in the way of love. What makes this series slightly different, though, is that it’s set in 2020 and the characters are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly the cancelation of school events they’d really been looking forward to. (I note, though, that nobody wears a mask or socially distances at any point.) Another unusual aspect is that we’ve now glimpsed a couple of the characters ten years in the future, which is pretty neat. I will likely continue with this one, though I hope it’s a short series as that would probably work best. – Michelle Smith
The Case Files of Jeweler Richard, Vol. 1 | By Mika Akatsuki, Nanako Tsujimura, and Utako Yukihiro | Seven Seas – I didn’t know much about The Case Files of Jeweler Richard going in, but I’d seen it described as a mystery, so that plus the title plus what looked to be a somewhat eccentric protagonist with an earnest helper lead me to expect something Sherlockian. I thought somehow that Richard and Seigi would be solving murders. That is not the case, however. In the first half of this volume, Richard helps Seigi track down the woman from whom his grandmother stole a pink sapphire ring 50 years ago. In the second half, a client’s request for a valuation of a ruby leads only to some resolution in her romantic life. Is… is that it? Is that all this series is? I did learn some stuff about gemstones, but I must admit I’m disappointed. I’ll give it another volume in case this one’s just a warmup. – Michelle Smith
Hello, Melancholic!, Vol. 1 | By Yayoi Ohsawa | Seven Seas There have been quite a few band club manga out there, and I dare say one or two yuri band club manga. But the trombone taking a starring role is a new one to me. Minato is huge, plays a huge instrument, and is a bundle of introverted, cringing nerves, having had a traumatic experience in her past that has left her trying to fit in in high school… and failing, just like everyone else who has to try to fit in rather than just doing it. Fortunately, she meets Hibiki, who is a positive, excitable bundle of energy, and wants Minato in her band no matter what. But that will mean getting past Minato’s walls… something that might be helped a bit by Minato clearly crushing on her sempai! This was cute and fun, and Minato’s introversion is well-handled. – Sean Gaffney
I’m a Wolf, But My Boss Is a Sheep, Vol. 1 | By Shino Shimizu | Seven Seas – For the most part, this reads like a pretty standard office romance between two very awkward people, but it’s the animal characteristics and instincts that make it unique. Oogami is new to the department, which consists almost entirely of sheep… and he’s a wolf, which means they already think he’s going to go after them. He certainly does have the instincts to, but does an admirable job of holding back. As for Mitsuji, she has similar issues—in a board room filled with carnivores, she struggles not to be held back by her fear instinct. The two of them are clearly perfect for each other, but this is not the sort of series that wants to get them together right away, especially as we meet two possible “past romances” for both of them. Cute—Beastars but fluffier. – Sean Gaffney
Kageki Shojo!!, Vol. 4 | By Kumiko Saiki | Seven Seas – In this volume Sarasa runs into a problem that many actors have a tremendous problem with, which is what to do when you’re told to act it “as yourself.” She’s running in the relay race for the sports festival, unheard of for a first-year student, and the pressure gets to her till she realizes that the audience is not there to watch athletes race, it is there for a performance. After that, everything comes together. Meanwhile, Ai is forced to face up to the fact that not only does she now have friends, but she’s actually happy with that fact, something that blows her mind. We’re a long way away from the Ai of the first volume. There’s also a long side story showing what happens when a student longing to be a musumeyaku suddenly grows too tall… dreams are dashed. Very very good. – Sean Gaffney
Kase-san and Yamada, Vol. 2 | By Hiromi Takashima | Seven Seas – It’s been two years since the last volume, but I was able to pick up right where these two left off—still trying to be in a long-distance relationship and finding out it works best if you still see each other a lot of the time. So we have Kase taking a day off from practice to go to the festival and see fireworks with Yamada, and Yamada going to the beach lodge where Kase and her team are working to stay there as well. This actually leads to a scene where they are intimate with each other, which surprised me as I’d thought that when the series rebooted itself it was going to walk that back—nice to see the continuity is the same. As for Kase and Yamada, they’re an adorably sweet couple, as you’d expect—the readers would not want anything less. – Sean Gaffney
Rosen Blood, Vol. 2 | Kachiru Ishizue | Viz Media – In the second volume of this series I remain confused about the methods of vampirific human consumption, which involves a mysterious crystallization process, but this volume does deliver on providing even more gothic vibes as Stella needs to enter Levi’s brain for various reasons and is able to discover more about his past in a surreal dream sequence. Levi’s companions are revealed to be even more evil, and there’s plenty of dark seduction to go around. This series is best for readers who aren’t picky about plot details but enjoy pretty brooding vampires. – Anna N
Sex Ed 120%, Vol. 3 | By Kikiki Tataki and Hotomura | Yen Press – Last time I described the two teachers in this series as lesbians, but it turns out they’re both bi, and we do get discussion of the difficulties that bi folks face from others. As for Tsuji and Nakazawa, well, Nakazawa is only just coming to terms with her feelings, and Tsuji doesn’t want to ruin the friendship they have, so things are slow going. As for the Sex Ed part of the book, it’s still top notch, with excellent discussions of abortion and pregnancy, transgender people, and a deeper look into how LGBT culture works, particularly in Japan. I think they’d be great books to assign to high schoolers, though you might run into a few issues. The characters remain fun if slight, and I was rooting for the teachers in the end. This is the final volume, and the series in recommended. – Sean Gaffney
Skip and Loafer, Vol. 3 | By Misaki Takamatsu |Seven Seas – Mitsumi is starting to actually do things right, and her core circle of friends no longer has to be amazed at her newbie-ness. Honestly, her character journey may be done, which is good, as Shima still has a long way to go. He has A PAST, capital letters, and it’s getting in the way of his present, and also probably impacting the fact that he’s clearly falling for Mitsumi. That said, I’m not too sure that the plot matters too much to me, as this is a series that I enjoy reading for the vibe more than anything else. I also love Nao, Mitsumi’s aunt, who has clearly read other “wacky” manga before and makes sure that Mitsumi reminds her friends that Nao is biologically male in case of unfortunate assumptions. She’s also there to give good advice. – Sean Gaffney