Assassination Classroom, Vol. 12 | By Yusei Matsui | Viz Media – I’ve talked before about how much I enjoy Irina’s crush on Kurasuma, and his seeming obliviousness to same. Seeming being the word there, as here we see he’s deliberately not seeing it so she won’t lose her edge. Of course, this is because he sees her as an assassin and not a woman. And as with women scorned through history, it makes Irina vulnerable to others who want to use her skills and go after the real target—Koro-sensei. Luckily, the kids have learned their lesson from the last book and are better than ever. Unluckily, that means very little against this new assassin, whose killing presence is very reminiscent of Nagisa’s. Add this all up and you get another excellent volume. – Sean Gaffney
Black Clover, Vol. 3 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – Still hugely enjoying this, despite its almost anti-originality. There are new powers discovered that call out only to the right one to wield them; huge battles where our hero is seemingly defeated only to power up at the last minute; saving the villain’s life because he’s not REALLY the villain, of course, just another guy like the rest of us; a dysfunctional bunch of arrogant heroes who will no doubt be hideously powerful and also learn humility. Oh, and look, some of them are Noelle’s siblings. And it all ends with the villain about to kill a defenseless child for the lulz, and our hero coming to the rescue. It would be horrible were it not well-drawn and plotted, with sympathetic heroes Classic Jump, really. – Sean Gaffney
The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 6 | By Aya Shouoto | VIZ Media – After a pair of strong volumes, I was expecting more from this one, but ended up feeling a little disappointed. It isn’t bad, just not as good. Reeling from Aoi’s rejection, Himari meets a new teacher with a penchant for telling ghost stories and collecting magical objects, including a mirror that allows her to eventually accept the fact that, reciprocated or not, her feelings for Aoi won’t change. After an ultimately pointless visit from a demanding cat ayakashi, we do get some hints about the mysterious teacher that might prove interesting. Oddly enough, the best part is the baffling but intriguing bonus story. I don’t have absolute confidence in Shouoto-sensei’s ability to pull all of these threads together, but I’ll keep reading. – Michelle Smith
Golden Time, Vol. 5 | By Yuyuko Takemiya and Umechazuke | Seven Seas – I think this is the start of the adaptation of the second light novel, and it shows, as this is mostly all setup with very little payoff. Banri and Kouko are together now, but as his memories return more and more (not helped by more head injuries, which can’t be good for him), it becomes increasingly apparent that Linda was his true love before the accident. Linda is having a breakdown now that he is remembering things, and Kouko is as always a complete emotional whirlwind, which is fun when she’s mocking her ex or trying to set her up with the still underdeveloped Oka, but can be extremely aggravating when you need someone in this soap opera to be sensible. – Sean Gaffney
Honey So Sweet, Vol. 4 | By Amu Meguro | Viz Media – I’ve wanted to see more of Yashiro, the sharp and somewhat sarcastic best friend of the heroine, since the book began, and this volume allows me a whole pile of her. It shows off why she’s had so much trouble opening up—her family tends to ignore her, and the only real affection she’s gotten to date is from her much older tutor, who’s dating her but also cheating on her. This sort of character, in a shoujo manga, really is served best by a partner who wears their heart on their sleeve, and luckily Misaki is completely unable to hide any emotion whatsoever. Luckily, the tutor is wise enough to realize that she really is better off with someone other than him, and cheerfully breaks up with her. Fluffy angst is the best angst. – Sean Gaffney
Haikyu!!, Vol. 4 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – One of the best things about The Prince of Tennis was the many memorable rival teams Seigaku faced. But I think Haikyu!! has them beat with Nekoma, a consistent team with an arsenal of attacks, memorable characters (including several analogues to Karasuno players), and appealing backstory. I actually found myself rooting for them, and would totally read a spinoff about them! But it’s also great that they forced Hinata to start consciously aiming his hits, rather than depending on Kageyama all the time, beginning the duo’s evolution from “a monster and his club” to “one monster and another monster.” Also, Karasuno losing the practice game at this point will make an eventual rematch on the tournament stage even more pivotal and exciting. I’m looking forward to it! – Michelle Smith
My Love Story!!, Vol. 10 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | VIZ Media – I love this series so, so, so much. Reading it makes me happy. I especially enjoyed this volume because it spends a lot of time on Takeo and Sunakawa’s friendship. First, Suna is there for Takeo when the latter is worrying about Ichinose the pastry chef confessing his feelings to Yamato, but then he starts feeling lonely when he realizes Takeo has gotten better at communicating his good intentions to others and might not need him anymore. He has a hard time admitting how he feels, and also later struggles to advise Takeo about his growing desire for Yamato. (Could this be further evidence of his asexuality?) Of course, there is plenty of romantic cuteness between our lead couple, but for getting to know Suna better, this volume is a standout. – Michelle Smith
My Love Story!!, Vol. 10 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | Viz Media – Last time I hoped Yamato would figure out what was going on and shut Ichinose down. Well, she didn’t really figure it out, but we do get a rejection. Being Yamato, of course, it’s as sweet as pie, assuring Ichinose that his skills as a pastry chef are amazing without her as a muse AND reaffirming she’s head over heels for Takeo. In fact, these two are such a solid couple it might be time to take things to the next level, something Takeo has been brooding over but can’t quite get out due partly to his shyness and partly I think due to having Yamato on a pedestal. Luckily the class trip is coming up, giving them lots of opportunity to go further, though I doubt anything major will happen. Still adorable. – Sean Gaffney
My Neighbor Seki, Vol. 8 | By Takuma Morishige | Vertical Comics – It’s been a while since we’ve had Seki’s antics, and I find that this was an even more enjoyable volume of Seki than usual. There’s another one of the “Godo misinterprets Seki and Yokoi as a hot sexy couple” chapter, even as Yokoi is merely trying to figure out what the hell Seki is planning now. There’s a lot of Seki’s games rebounding on him this time, as he gets lost in imaginary toys, has a hilarious disaster with natto, and sprays his crotch with water in the worst possible way. As for Yokoi, all she wants is a nice sweet story from Seki’s playthings, but more often than not his nihilistic side takes over, such as his post-apocalyptic Game of Life. Even the cover gag is great. – Sean Gaffney