Bookshelf Briefs 4/11/16

Assassination Classroom, Vol. 9 | By Yusei Matsui | Viz Media – There’s a lot packed into this volume, ranging from showing how much more Class E is actually learning from Koro-sensei, to kicking off some romantic ship tease between Irina and Karasuma (good to see his the typical romantically clueless male). But the most important part of the volume discusses what it actually means to be an assassin, and how it’s different from being a soldier, or being a fighter. Koro-sensei is teaching the class the skills they need at assassination, but do any of the kids really have the desire to kill someone? (Or even the tragic background that we see Irina has here.) But, most importantly, will Kayano ever get to do anything ever? We may at least find that out next time. – Sean Gaffney

Golden Time, Vol. 3 | By Yuyuko Takemiya and Umechazuke | Seven Seas – Any chance at romantic moves forward is shut down in the first few pages—Kaga rejects Banri’s confession, but hopes they can be friends. Honestly, it’s for the best for both of them. Banri is still dealing with his amnesia—and judging by the flashback we see, was quite different back then from his present self. Kaga, meanwhile, is still a hot mess of issues, which she handles in the most extroverted, aggravating way possible. Then there’s the added issue of Linda, who clearly knew Banri in the past—and he is aware of this—but is keeping it from him for some unknown reason. Essentially, we continue barrelling along far too fast, and the ensuing car crash, when it comes, will be awful in the best way. – Sean Gaffney

Honey So Sweet, Vol. 2 | By Amu Meguro | Viz Media – Now that we have resolved the whole “he’s really mean” plot that kicked this off, and Nao is able to realize that she does not, in fact, have romantic feelings for her uncle after all, the series can go on to do what it does very well, which is be sweet and charming. When you have two very awkward leads (and their awkward friend—Yashiro is really the odd one out here), there’s usually a lot of cute blushing, awkward almost missed dates, and apologies. Of course, as we find near the end, Taiga can’t quite get away from the fact that everyone still views him as a thug. And there’s also the dreaded new guy who enters the picture at the end of the volume. Enemy? New love interest? Ah well, at least it will be sweet. – Sean Gaffney

The Honor Student at Magic High School, Vol. 2 | By Tsutomu Sato and Yu Mori | Yen Press – I don’t think I even reviewed the first volume of this. When the Irregular volume was delayed from November to April, its spinoff manga was left in place, sadly. As a result, we see an alternate telling of a story I haven’t read yet, told from the perspective of the sister of the main novel character. On the plus side, the world is well-formed, and should please those who like ‘magic academy’ series in general. On the minus side, the heroine seems to be flawless with the exception of her massive brother complex, and anyone reading this had better have a very high tolerance for incestuous feelings of yearning. I suspect this series will work better after the novel comes out next month. – Sean Gaffney

My Little Monster, Vol. 13 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – The thirteenth and final volume of My Little Monster includes assorted goodies for the die-hard fan. There are a few chapters from the point of view of characters whose perspectives we don’t generally see, a lovely wedding ceremony (with Nagoya the chicken included!), quite a lot of 4-koma, some character profiles, fanbook excerpts, even a maze. I’d say we did learn a few new things about some characters, and even though I wish for more detail about Natsume and Sasayan’s future, the glimpse we get here will sustain me. It says a lot about this series that Robico’s joke sequel announcement at the end of the volume made me go, “I’d read that!” Any chance to spend a little more time with these characters was and will always be welcome. – Michelle Smith

Pandora Hearts, Vol. 24 | By Jun Mochizuki | Yen Press – One of these days, I’ll have to read Pandora Hearts straight through because I am still forgetting things in between volumes. As a result, some of what happens in this final volume is rather confusing. The basic gist, however, is that the world the characters inhabit is crumbling, and our heroes must find a way to stabilize their existence without changing the past. The characters are well-served here—I was happy to see the living draw upon their memories of the departed when deciding which side they were on and the ending also delivers major feels. Happy, sad, lovely and bittersweet, it’s everything I could’ve wanted the conclusion of this story to be. Well done, Mochizuki-sensei. – Michelle Smith