Bloody Mary, Vol. 2 | By Akaza Samamiya | Viz Media – Bloody Mary continues to be a tad incoherent in its narrative, but it does it with an almost unending line of extremely pretty anguished male characters, while being so gothic I almost don’t care very much about the finer points of the plot. This volume starts filling in a tiny bit more backstory about Maria’s ancestors (one of whom is suspiciously immortal) and Mary’s past. A flashback gives a glimpse of Maria as a boy, and starts showing the reader just how messed up his family is. In the meantime, student council president Takumi continues to be up to no good. This manga might be mainly for vampire manga fans, but there are plenty of those out there! – Anna N
The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, Vol. 9 | By Puyo and Nagaru Tanigawa | Yen Press – Kyon and Yuki got together in the last volume, and this one is sort of a victory lap, as Puyo begins to wrap things up and resolve some plot and character points. And so Haruhi accepts that she and Kyon are not going to happen, Tsuruya and Mikuru actually graduate and leave the school, and Kyon and Yuki go out on a very normal, fun and heartwarming date—despite an overenthusiastic Kimidori and trying to avoid Taniguchi and Kuyou. The most intriguing loose end as we head into what I suspect is the final volume is Ryouko, who is realizing that she needs to break away from Yuki for her own good, even if that means—in-joke incoming—moving to Canada. Sweet as always. – Sean Gaffney
Honey So Sweet, Vol. 2 | by Amu Meguro | Viz Media – This slice-of-life romance about a traumatized girl and her secretly sweet juvenile delinquent boyfriend strikes the right balance between sincerity and humor. As Nao and Taiga become closer, she has to learn to recognize her own feelings for the first time. They’re supported by friends at school, and Taiga begins to come out of his shell a little bit. However, I feel slightly suspicious of his new friend Futami, and I hope it doesn’t mean a convoluted plot that keeps Nao and Taiga apart is coming up in the next volume. Meguro’s delicate art is as cute as the sentiments in Honey So Sweet. This series is well worth picking up for shoujo fans. – Anna N
Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 15 | By Kiiro Yumi and Hiro Arakawa| Viz Media – This is an almost perfect final volume. We see Iku’s growth as a Library Force soldier, we see some truly ridiculous solutions to the problem of how to create a distraction, and of course we see the resolution of the main pairing. My favorite beta pairing is unresolved, but given the personalities of the two people involved, that’s not a surprise. Best of all, the whole cast is shown to have made a difference—the Library Forces in the future don’t need to use weapons, and censorship is gradually weakening its hold. Despite occasionally feeling a bit ludicrous in terms of its plotting, I have loved most of this shoujo manga to bits, and wish Iku and Dojo all the best. Also, license the side-story volumes, Viz? – Sean Gaffney
Princess Jellyfish, Vol. 1 | By Akiko Higashimura | Kodansha Comics – As excited as I was to read this, I also avoided reading too much about it beforehand. I knew it would involve otaku women living together, but I didn’t anticipate the dilemma the jellyfish-loving protagonist, Tsukimi, would find herself in. With the help of style expert Kuranosuke, Tsukimi periodically transforms into a cute girl, and in that guise strikes up a sweet attraction to Kuranosuke’s virginal older brother, Shu. Opening herself up to the possibility of love brings excitement as well as pain, and I wonder whether Tsukimi will stick it out or retreat to the cozy familiarity of her fujoshi lifestyle. But how long will that even last, with the boarding house scheduled to be demolished? Though this version collects the first two volume of the Japanese release, I still wanted more. I’m relieved to report Princess Jellyfish is every bit as great as I hoped it would be! – Michelle Smith
Real, Vol. 14 | By Takehiko Inoue | VIZ Media – Reading Real as it is released has its drawbacks—since it only comes out once a year and the last volume was mostly about a wrestler, I haven’t seen some of the characters at the forefront of volume fourteen for over two years! Consequently, it was a little hard to get back into their lives, but as always, Inoue made me care very deeply indeed by the end of the volume. While Nomiya’s search for direction after his dream of turning pro doesn’t work out is certainly compelling, it’s the promise of a matchup between the Tigers and the Dreams (and our respective protagonists working hard on both teams) in a forthcoming tournament that makes me the most excited. Add in some encouragement by Yama, and I’m seriously verklempt (and waiting desperately for the next volume, naturally.) – Michelle Smith
Shuriken and Pleats, Vol. 1 | By Matsuri Hino | Viz Media – I was unaware that this was only a two-volume series ’til I finished it, but looking back, it should not come as a surprise. Things move much faster than I’d expect from a LaLa manga, particularly towards the second half. Hino describes Mikage as “quirky,” but those who read Vampire Knight won’t be surprised to see she’s mostly calm, action-driven, and tortured by her horrible past, some of which we actually get to see. I enjoyed this while I was reading it, but it feels even slighter than her last series, and that’s saying something. If you wish that there were more shoujo ninja manga, or are a huge Hino fan, I’d give it a shot. And even if you’re meh about it, hey, it’s only two volumes long. – Sean Gaffney
Sword Art Online: Progressive, Vol. 4 | By Kiseki Himura and Reki Kawahara | Yen Press – The last volume of the manga diverged from the novel it was adapting, showing a fight between our heroes that separated them right before the big battle. This allows Asuna to get a little more cool things to do, allowed Argo’s tiny subplot to be slightly expanded, and of course gave us a bit more ship tease and amusing faces. Of course, most of this is the same as the novel in the end, and I do believe that the original is better. But this is quite nice as well, and it will be interesting to see how it handles the second floor and the introduction of the elves. Also, it should keep Argo around, as it’s been doing. More Argo hijinks are always welcome. – Sean Gaffney