Sean and Michelle review a sizable pile of new releases from a sizable percentage of manga publishers.
Assassination Classroom, Vol. 8 | By Yusei Matsui | Viz Media – Viz may never have licensed Supernatural Detective Neuro, Matsui’s prior series, but at least we can get an in-joke about it here. As for this volume itself, it’s very good at showing that our class is learning well, but still can make mistakes and grow from them. We see the specialty of various kids who hadn’t gotten the spotlight before, and Karma makes a nice comeback after being brought down during the exams. As always, though, it ends up being Nagisa who drives things forward—both on the humorous side, as he has to cross-dress apparently for nothing but the class’ amusement, to the serious side, as he faces off against a nasty and insane foe with murder in mind. Really fantastic. – Sean Gaffney
Behind the Scenes!!, Vol. 1 | By Bisco Hatori | VIZ Media – Oh, how I wanted to love this. As someone who once concluded a review of the first volume of Ouran High School Host Club with the words “could not possibly be more highly recommended,” it is with a heavy heart that I confess that I found Behind the Scenes!! profoundly underwhelming. Ranmaru Kurisu is a somewhat spazzy protagonist who spends a lot of time in freak-out mode, and though he does occasionally save the day for the special effects crew he joins, the plots are all pretty lame. It doesn’t help that the leader of the group is constantly urging Ranmaru to “evolve,” either. However, as disappointing and unfunny as this first volume was, I find I just can’t give up yet. Hatori loyalty compares me to stick with it ‘til all hope is gone. – Michelle Smith
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 10 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | Viz Media – A lot of battle manga, which Food Wars! definitely is, end up having some sort of ethical battle between someone who is fighting and winning for the right reasons (our hero), and one fighting for the wrong ones (this volume’s villain, Mimisaka). It’s a great plot for your typical “young boy” manga, as it shows off a lot of negative traits and then shows why they’re bad. Mimisaka enjoys enraging and then humiliating his opponents, as well as taking their most prized possessions. He also tends to imitate his opponents. I suspect he’ll have more trouble with Yukimura than any other. In the meantime, it’s Western-style cooking next time around, and I expect we’ll see a lesson being learned. – Sean Gaffney
A Girl on the Shore | By Inio Asano | Vertical Comics – The back cover blurb describes this short series as “challenging,” and boy, is that apt. Initially, I thought that adjective mostly referred to the way Koume Sato, cruelly used by the boy she likes, initiates a sexual arrangement with Keisuke Isobe, who has liked her for years, while repeatedly belittling him and rejecting his desire for a real relationship. What ensues between them is explicit and a bit twisted, and by the time Sato is ready to admit that she does genuinely like Isobe, it’s a case of too little, too late. But really, it’s the way things end—and the struggle to decide if it’s hopeful or terribly bleak—that I found most difficult to accept. I can’t go into more detail without spoilers, but I have many feels! I definitely recommend the series, especially for the stellar sense of place Asano evokes, but be warned… it really is challenging! – Michelle Smith
Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 20 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – So our main couple have admitted their feelings, and a time-travel trip to the past has resolved any other women who may have been troublesome. Now, of course, we need to add more complications to the mix, and it’s a rather obvious one—Nanami may be the local shrine god, but she’s still a human, and a life with Tomoe is going to feel like no time at all for him, and end in inevitable tragedy. He’s aware of this as well, of course, and seemingly far more concerned about it, which leads to him making a rare stupid mistake. Of course, this also ties into the main plot, which still chugs along—Akura-Oh is around in the modern world, and is not going to simply sit around and let Tomoe and Nanami happily ever after. Always fun. – Sean Gaffney
My Little Monster, Vol. 12 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – There is a 13th volume of My Little Monster, but my guess is it’s filled with side stories, as things wrap up here for our lead couple and their beta couple friends. Given that it’s a final volume, I don’t want to spoil too much, but suffice to say that there are a lot of heartwarming and satisfying scenes here, and there’s a nice flash forward to about 3-4 years later that gives us a Shizuku who looks amazing. I also freely admit that Natsume is my favorite character in the series, and she gets a lot to do as well, including a great sultry look that makes Sasayan’s eyes bug out. I started off not sure if I’d like this, mostly as Haru was simply out of control. Seeing him develop has been an experience, and one worth the read. – Sean Gaffney
orange: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1 | By Ichigo Takano | Seven Seas – I have read and truly enjoyed a LOT of manga, but that “I’m so glad this series is part of my life” feeling that I got with orange is rare indeed. Simply put, this is a story about a timid heroine who must change herself—following instructions somehow sent to her by her future self—to change the future and prevent a beloved classmate from committing suicide. Such a setup could easily play out as cheesy, but the execution is anything but, and neither does the “you need to show people that you care” message ever turn preachy. Instead, there’s just great characters and supportive friends (including another pair for the “heroine’s awesome protective friends” list) trying to do their best to pull someone through a difficult time. It’s only February, but I just might have found my top contender for the Best of 2016! – Michelle Smith
A Silent Voice, Vol. 5 | By Yoshitoki Oima | Kodansha Comics – Desperately trying to pretend that absolutely nothing is wrong while suffering inside is, unfortunately, something I think most of us have experience seeing. We get it throughout this volume, mostly from Shoya, who’s forced to return to the elementary school where this all began and admit to his new high school friends what he did then. And of course there’s Shoko, who my guess is has never stopped believing that everything that happened isn’t her fault in some way, and she finally breaks after we see all their newfound friends fighting and separated. Given there are two volumes to go after this, I assume the cliffhanger will be resolved in some way, but believe it or not, things should get worse before they get better. – Sean Gaffney
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Vol. 6 | By Miki Yoshikawa| Kodansha Comics – There’s a lot of stuff happening here, but it’s variations on what we’ve seen before. We find out that the ‘manipulated’ minions are not as manipulated as we’d expect, and we find out that the witch behind it all is really not all that evil, just a high schooler with high school problems, which can be solved by Yamada-kun and his blunt but honest ways. It’s actually pretty sweet in a number of places, and there’s several funny scenes, including the bonus chapter where Yamada (in Urara’s body) has to stay over at Itou’s apartment. But in terms of plot or characterization of our regulars, it’s more of the same. I hope the next volume moves things forward a bit. – Sean Gaffney