A Centaur’s Life, Vol. 10 | By Kei Murayama | Seven Seas – What I said in my last review applies, only more so. I’m wondering if the author even has a plan at all, or is just happy to coast on monster girls as long as possible. Here we wrap up the arc in the alternate universe, which ends with the ‘it was all a dream’ cliche so dreaded by readers everywhere. We get a test of strength among the class, which a baffled Hime wins without ever really knowing why. We get the introduction of Suu’s sister, which gives us the idea of a giant snake as a bratty goth-loli wannabe. For the most part, though, this wasn’t really very funny, and didn’t have as much of the total bafflement I’ve enjoyed before. Also, stop showing us girl monsters on the toilet. Jeezus. – Sean Gaffney
Haikyu!!, Vol. 5 | By Haruichi Furudate | VIZ Media – This was another excellent installment of Haikyu!!. The Inter-High qualifiers are upon us, and I loved getting glimpses of some of the other participating teams. I especially loved Furudate’s extended look at those who were defeated in the first round, including a poignant montage and emphasis on the losers’ regrets. In this way, we also meet Karasuno’s girls’ team, and now I want a spinoff. For their part, the Karasuno boys also bring the feels as they overturn the prevailing opinion that they merely used to be good. The panel with an about-to-jump Hinata superimposed over a crow spreading its wings actually made me verklempt, as did the moment when he realizes how cool being a decoy can be. I wish I had more to read! – Michelle Smith
Nichijou, Vol. 5 | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – I was happy to see more Mai here as I requested, whether she’s torturing her friends in a game of Red Light Green Light, torturing her friends by drawing baffling buddha backgrounds on their yaoi manga, torturing the Professor by letting her dogs “play” with her, to the point where they bite Mio and Yukko for the lulz, and in general shows that she does not remotely grasp human interaction whatsoever. In non-Mai news, we see more of the scientist who’s desperate to examine Nano but gets tripped up by… well, everything. Western fans will be baffled by the surreal chapter based around nagashi somen. And in the best chapter in the book, our three girls struggle against the rain and her vagaries of an angry temple god. Terrific. – Sean Gaffney
Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 18 | By Naoshi Komi | Viz Media – The field trip continues, and has many sweet and funny moments, but it’s not what the meat of this volume is. No, we’ve reached what appears to be the start of a final arc (spoiler: it’s not), where Chitoge is told that they’re moving back to the US, so she can come with and stop pretending to be Raku’s girlfriend. Needless to say, she’s devastated by this, as are the others, as she’s never had friends like this before, and of course is also in love with Raku. We’re starting to realize he’s in love with her as well—Shu blatantly asks who he likes, and while he says it’s Onodera it’s the first time he’s really waffling on the question. Will she leave? Will she stay? Will Claude kill Raku before that’s decided? Yup, cliffhanger. One of the best volumes yet. – Sean Gaffney
Princess Jellyfish, Vol. 3 | By Akiko Higashimura | Kodansha Comics – The effort Kuranosuke expends to support the dreams of others is truly impressive. Not only does he spearhead the fashion designer idea as a way to earn enough money to avoid Amamizu-kan’s destruction, but he manages to provide costumes and audience to a struggling student production, nudges Mayaya out of her comfort zone, and utilizes his politican father’s party to drum up attendees and press for a Jelly Fish fashion show. I love that he both accepts the Amars as they are and challenges them to participate in the outside world. In this way, he’s given them, and particularly a fired-up Tsukimi, an outlet for their hopes and fears as the reality of their neighborhood’s eventual destruction begins to hit home. Highly recommended. – Michelle Smith
Requiem of the Rose King, Vol. 5 | By Aya Kanno | VIZ Media – Wow, what a volume! Political scheming abounds in the action-packed moments, as Richard’s rescue of his brother forces Warwick to abandon his plan to make George the king and pivot instead back to the Lancasters, just as the other Edward (the one in love with Richard) counted on when he agreed to help Richard out. And in the quiet moments, we spend time with a couple of people still in love with Richard (Edward and Anne), and in the worst/best part of all, Henry and Richard manage to have another blissful interlude together, during which Richard finally admits to himself that he’s in love with Henry just as Henry says he will not permit himself to love anyone. Oh, the treachery and the angst! It’s riveting. Keep ’em coming, Kanno! – Michelle Smith
Shuriken and Pleats, Vol. 2 | By Matsuri Hino | Viz Media – Well, that was one big thud of an ending. When this was licensed I heard it was two volumes long, which made me wary, and that after it ended the author returned to Vampire Knight material, which made me warier. Sure enough, this has “cancelled early due to low reader support” written all over it. Mikage’s stoic ninja finds many things to feel emotional about, but alas, we’re left with the uncomfortable ‘father role’ as the main romance, though it’s blessedly one-sided. And, this being a ninja manga, there’s plots, counterplots, fights on top of speedboats, etc. The main problem with this series, though, is that in the end there was not one plot twist I didn’t guess beforehand. Hino fans should reread Vampire Knight instead. – Sean Gaffney
That Wolf-Boy Is Mine!, Vol. 2 | By Yoko Nagiri | Kodansha Comics – The trouble with getting rejected and saying “I hope we can still be friends!” is that you need to actually have the resolve to do that, which is difficult when you’re still massively in love, not to mention getting mixed signals. As for Yu, we see signs of him getting jealous, but I don’t think he’s even consciously aware of what that is. Honestly, I wonder if Yu’s grumpy friend Rin might be a better match for Komugi, though as a blonde guy in a shoujo manga, he’s inevitably going to be second-best. What’s more, we’re getting some suggestion that Komugi’s background may not be what it seems, something that will no doubt lead to much drama but also allow her to end up with one of these guys. Good, but can be dull at times. – Sean Gaffney
UQ Holder, Vol. 9 | By Ken Akamatsu | Kodansha Comics – As a Negima reader, I found it somewhat hilarious that as part of her training Tota, she sends him into the jungle in order to imitate his predecessor’s “cross a world in a short period” plotline. Even worse, his companion is Kirie, the Chisame lookee-likee, making it even more obvious that he’s just having fun for his fans. That said, this is quite a strong volume, showing off cool fights, embarrassed blushes, aborted love confessions, and our hero literally PUNCHING TIME in order to meet Evangeline’s young self again. New readers will suffer even more, though, as Ayake and Chachamaru show up at the end here, Konoka and Setsuna’s descendants are coming, and that Shinobu clone as well. Akamatsu’s greatest hits, but they’re good hits. – Sean Gaffney