It’s a Vizstravaganza!
Assassination Classroom, Vol. 10 | By Yusei Matsui | Viz Media – First of all, yay, Kayano got to do something! The giant pudding detail was very well done, and there was a minimum of the usual tiny chest jokes that normally surround her. The other important detail to note in this volume is how much other forces from outside the classroom are also trying to kill Koro-sensei, and how their methods are very much “by any means necessary.” Indeed, Shiro may end up being this manga’s Big Bad. What he does to Itona is appalling, and I was pleased that, after suitable recovery and the appropriate tragic backstory, he was able to join the class. This continues to be a top-drawer Jump series, and is now so popular that the author will be at NYCC this fall. – Sean Gaffney
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 12 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | VIZ Media – I always enjoy Food Wars!, but this was an especially good volume. The three-way battle in the final round of the Fall Classic gets underway, but Soma is at a disadvantage when it comes to selecting the best pike (the theme ingredient) for his dish. Of course, he comes through with an innovative workaround after having been dismissed as a threat by his two competitors, though we’ll have to wait until the next volume to see how the judges react to his final flourish. I especially liked that the art has evolved some, and Soma appears to have aged a bit since the start of the series, and that the over-the-top reaction shots leaned more towards musclebound dudes than scantily clad ladies this time around. Eagerly looking forward to volume thirteen! – Michelle Smith
Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 21 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – I was rather surprised to see that Tomoe’s plight is not so easily resolved, and indeed not resolved at all this volume. But that allows us to focus more on Nanami, who is struggling hard to get her happy human-sized lifetime with her love, but the question remains how long her life is going to be, especially with Yatori, who’s always been sort of creepy and villainous but ups his game a great deal here. Things are so bad that Nanami is even offered an out, when she arrives at Mount Kurama and reunites with her (slightly older) friends, who tell her she can stay there for the rest of her life, and see Tomoe on occasion. But that’s not good enough: Nanami loves Tomoe, and has to fix this. Still recommended. – Sean Gaffney
Paradise Residence, Vol. 2 | By Kosuke Fujishima | Kodansha Comics – This is just the one volume, and because Fujishima’s volumes are slim, it looks like a lot less compared to its predecessor. I’d say that the content also felt a bit light compared to its predecessor, but that implies that the previous volume had a heavy amount of content, which it doesn’t. This series is fluffy even for Fujishima, who takes the time when he’s relaxing from wrapping up Oh My Goddess (most of this ran concurrently with it) to give us amusing school situations, amusing beach situations, a lot of pretty girls, and of course a brief race with a souped-up car, because we know what the author REALLY cares about. If you love Fujishima, this is definitely worth a read. If not, totally skippable. – Sean Gaffney
QQ Sweeper, Vol. 3 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – I wasn’t aware that this was the final volume of QQ Sweeper until right before I read it, and it came as a surprise. That said, what it’s actually doing is changing its title and rebooting itself, something that usually happens when a title changes publishers, but no, it’s still going to be in Betsucomi. This is probably why very little is actually wrapped up here, though at least we now have confirmation that Fumi is indeed a very special girl, and she and Kyutaro become closer. This is just as dramatic as the previous volume, with some bullying at the start and major suicidal focus in the second half, so it may not be for everyone. For me though, it was fantastic, and I really hope Viz licenses Queen’s Quality soon. – Sean Gaffney
QQ Sweeper, Vol. 3 | By Kyousuke Motomi | VIZ Media – This is the final volume of QQ Sweeper under this name, but the story doesn’t actually end here. Rather, it just sort of pauses, continuing in Queen’s Quality, which I am hopeful VIZ will license soon. Because, in the end, I really came to like Fumi a great deal. When a manipulative bug-handler coopts a karaoke outing to create hysteria over Fumi’s supposed curse, which in turn leads to bullying followed by insincere friendliness, she comports herself throughout with dignity yet doesn’t shy away from expressing her anger. Furthermore, she’s able to graciously accept Kyutaro’s help when one of the mean girls is further compelled to attempt suicide. It’s nice to have a lead who isn’t spazzy! In fact, I’ve grown to care about both lead characters very much and hope we see more of them soon! – Michelle Smith
School Judgment: Gakkyu Hotei, Vol. 3 | By Nobuaki Enoki and Takeshi Obata | Viz Media – Sometimes you read a series and you know the only reason it was licensed at all is the name recognition, and that’s certainly the case with School Judgment, which would never have even sniffed these shores were it not drawn by Takeshi Obata. We meet our third colleague of Abaku, and if you enjoyed Franziska Von Karma but wished she wore a leather bustier and was twelve years old, you’re in luck! For the rest of us, the fanservice falls flat, and the volume reads like a classic ‘cancelled’ Jump series, i.e. the ending is quite rushed and unsatisfying. If you absolutely must have anything Obata writes, you can get this, but otherwise Ace Attorney is still miles better (and indeed Miles better). – Sean Gaffney
School Judgment: Gakkyu Hotei, Vol. 3 | By Nobuaki Enoki and Takeshi Obata | VIZ Media – In this volume, one last classroom session for class 6-3 leads to the discovery of the identity of the fourth student to survive the massacre five years before. I’ve always felt rather “meh” about School Judgment, but with the introduction of Yui Kijima (the third survivor), my feelings shifted to outright dislike. Not only does she have a sadistic personality, the hyper-sexualized depiction of her as a leather-clad, twelve-year-old dominatrix is really gross. Still, the promise of resolution to the aforementioned massacre kept me reading. Too bad that turned out to be pretty lame, as well. Enoki’s original one-shot, with its craptastic art, rounds out the volume. I’m left with profound gratitude that this series is over. – Michelle Smith
Toriko, Vol. 34 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – I will hand it to Viz, there was absolutely no way they could censor out the fact that Toriko and company have to get the testicles of the Monkey King to save Komatsu, or all the many, many ball-jokes that follow, and they don’t even try. For the most part, though, this is setup to a big upcoming battle, complete with ignominious defeat to begin with (complete with fake horrific death scenes), and difficult but amusing training sequences. As for the Monkey King himself, he honestly seems like a lot of fun, and I’m hoping that things might be able to be resolved without his death. Until then, though, it’s a giant tag-team wrestling match with our heroes. Toriko is still not about food, but as a Jump title, it’s good. – Sean Gaffney