D-Frag!, Vol. 9 | By Tomoya Haruno | Seven Seas – Games are serious business in this very silly manga, and when Kazama realizes he’s totally forgotten about the rematch he was supposed to have with Roka, she gets very upset. That’s what drives most of this volume, which is still mostly devoted to very funny comedy. I enjoyed seeing the awkwardness of Kazama trying to fit in with the real Game Development Club, and the revelation that the stupid medallion Kazama (and I) had totally forgotten about is actually relevant. But honestly, it’s all about the rematch itself, and Kazama’s strategy for winning is both ludicrous and brilliant. D-Frag! is a comedy first and foremost, and if you keep that in mind you’ll still enjoy yourself immensely. – Sean Gaffney
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 13 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | Viz Media – I was right, Soma did not in fact win this volume. Which is not unexpected in a battle manga like this—and yes, Food Wars! is a battle manga more than it is a cooking manga. That said, Soma gains a lot from this loss, in particular the desire to cook for a reason other than to beat his father. He hasn’t found that reason yet, but just working at it is enough. After that, we get a new mini-arc involving helping at restaurants in the area, where Soma can put his childhood skills to use, Hisako shows off why Erina relies on her, Erina is, of course, perfect, and even Megumi’s keen observational eye earns her appreciation. These are smart kids, and they’re good at what they do. Classic Jump stuff. – Sean Gaffney
The Heiress and the Chauffeur, Vol. 2 | By Keiko Ishihara | Viz Media – This is not as good as the first volume, mostly as it has to wrap everything up, and due to the time period it takes place in, things have to get a bit unrealistic in order for our hero and heroine to come together in the end. We see romantic rivals (this time the blond is outwardly evil but secretly sweet—an inversion of the shoujo cliche), and Sayaka’s tsundere, not-a-lesbian best friend screaming every single line she gets in frustration at what she has to watch. But yeah, in the end, the heiress realizes she loves her chauffeur, they defy their family and run off, they run back when they realize that that would lead to the tragic ending, and love conquers all. Cute, but only OK. – Sean Gaffney
Kaze Hikaru, Vol. 24 | By Taeko Watanabe | VIZ Media – It’s August, and that can only mean our annual volume of Kaze Hikaru is upon us! The opening chapters had me feeling somewhat frustrated, alas, as Sei did something impulsive that she only belatedly realized was a betrayal of the Shinsengumi. Oopsies. Happily, just as it seemed we were in for more drama, with carefree Kondo about to embark on a journey with the very man who would like to assassinate him, we take an abrupt turn towards the past for some very entertaining chapters that explain just why Hijikata values Kondo so much. As usual, though, just as I’m settling in and enjoying a good story, the volume ends and that’s it for another year. At least we’re getting something, though, so thanks as usual, VIZ! – Michelle Smith
Maid-sama!, Vols. 9-10 | By Hiro Fujiwara | VIZ Media – Answers! We got actual answers about Usui’s background! And they even kind of address why he excels at everything! And before that, there were some very good scenes between them including smoochies and Misaki communicating (admittedly with too much violence) her annoyance and frustration with his terminal evasiveness. Even the fact that we are seemingly destined for a detour into Trope City in the next volume (hot springs trip, ugh) cannot extinguish my goodwill. Throughout this volume, it felt like some sort of tension was simmering, and I’m not sure if I imagined it, but if we actually do get something a little more serious and serialized to take us through the second half of the series, I will be very pleased indeed. – Michelle Smith
Maid-sama!, Vols. 9-10 | By Hiro Fujiwara | Viz Media – At last, we’re seeing new Maid-sama! chapters in North America, which if nothing else reveals to us who wins the election. Though honestly, that was more about making Kanou open up and be less introverted than anything else. More importantly, we finally begin to see some of Usui’s past, and why he keeps trying to hide it from Misaki. Seeing that he’s a quarter British is not particularly a surprise, and I suspect there’s more to it than this. More surprising is the introduction of new teacher Maria, who not only new Usui as a child but appears to be a genuine lesbian, albeit of the usual ‘predatory’ variety so beloved by manga authors everywhere. Frustrating but addicting. – Sean Gaffney
Sweetness & Lightning, Vol. 1 | By Gido Amagakure | Kodansha Comics – Melding genres can sometimes produce pleasant surprises, and pleasant is the word describing this manga, which takes the ‘single man raising rambunctious child’ genre and combines it with the ‘let’s cook a meal and describe how we do it’ genre to decent effect. The dad is Kouhei, a widower who’s still not quite over the death of his wife. The kid is Tsumugi, who’s not as hyper as Yotsuba but comes close. The wild card is Kotori, a student of his whose mother is always at work and who desperately needs to connect to someone, and has chosen Kouhei’s family. Provided we don’t go into the student/teacher romance genre, I think this could be a real winner. 50-50 odds we do, though. – Sean Gaffney
Toriko, Vol. 35 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – I can’t quite believe this is the same company that had to censor Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball at various points. Not only do we have the plotline with the monkey king almost explicitly say that they have to arouse him in order to make his testicles bigger and more tasty (which they do via interpretive dance, just in case you thought Toriko had gotten too predictable), but they then have to descend from the fighting arena on a literal pile of shit, and at the end of the volume they all turn into women. Luckily, as the cover might show off, all this leads to a good result, as Komatsu is alive again and reunited with our heroes. Toriko continues to be a bizarre Jump title, and the next arc could maybe be a bit more about food again? – Sean Gaffney