Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 23 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – As we get ever closer to the ending, everything is getting ramped up a notch, and we’re seeing the true villain of the series is not Akura-Oh. Indeed, the humanity that Akura-Oh has inherited by Kirihito leads to some of the best scenes in the book, as the young girl lost in the Underworld turns out to be someone far more important than we thought. And then there’s Nanami, who continues to be told what to do and then just does what she wants to anyway, and usually ends up turning out all right. Best of all, though, is Yatori, who’s always been awful but really goes above and beyond to become a truly hateful villain, the sort you really want to see Tomoe and Nanami destroy. Which will have to wait for next time. – Sean Gaffney
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 22 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | VIZ Media – It continues to impress me how complex Magi has become. In this volume, Alibaba learns about the Kou Empire’s plan to achieve peace through domination and homogenization, and is pressured into an alliance for the sake of Balbadd. When the world’s leaders gather at a conference, Aladdin finally reveals what happened on the world of Alma Tran, with direct parallels to what Kou is trying to achieve. It’s an affecting tale, with an adorable kitty beast, but what I liked best about the volume was Alibaba learning about and reacting to the terrible things Kou and Sinbad have done to others in pursuit of their goals. Both use essentially the same line about having to get their hands dirty in order to protect their countries, and one wonders how far Alibaba’s own ideals will be compromised for the same reason, especially given his new allegiance. Fascinating stuff! – Michelle Smith
Maid-sama!, Vols. 13-14 | By Hiro Fujiwara | Viz Media – Continuing from my last brief, it’s not just me—Misaki’s sister is definitely sweet on Hinata, which I suspect will pay off nicely next time in a “Pair the Spares” way. And you can tell the next omnibus will wrap things up, as we’re definitely headed towards an endgame, defined in part by Usui deciding to stop fighting against everything and transfer schools. The big reason that you can tell things might be ending, though, is that we finally get the confession from Misaki, and it’s as awesome as you’d expect. Misaki may still struggle with maturity and the fact that everything seems to embarrass her, but she’s come a long way. Maid-sama! has had issues, but I’m pleased we are getting the chance to read it to its finish. – Sean Gaffney
My Hero Academia, Vol. 7 | By Kohei Horikoshi | Viz Media – We wrap up one arc and begin another here, so there’s a bit of shifting gears and some cute school scenes in between. The kids learn the value of secrecy and propaganda, especially when it applies to schoolchildren who have technically broken the law. They also move on to midterm exams, which involve a practical portion that involves battling their teachers in sets of two. Naturally, Midoriya and Bakugo are paired up, because everyone has noticed Bakugo seemingly can’t stand Midoriya. Expect lessons to be learned, as this fight is definitely going to carry over into the next book. But most importantly, the chief of police in the city appears to be McGruff the Crime Dog. I approve. – Sean Gaffney
My Love Story!!, Vol. 11 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | Viz Media – This volume continues the development from the last one, as Yamato spends a lot of time trying to gently get through to Takeo that she is, in fact, OK with it if he tries to go further physically in their relationship. He gets it in the end, but we don’t really have them go any further—this continues to be one of the purest shoujo series ever, so I’m not surprised. Instead we introduce a new rival, but it’s not another love rival this time around. It’s a new transfer student who immediately seems to bond with Suna… in fact, it looks like he’s doing it on purpose. Could the new guy be using Suna? I’m definitely looking forward to the next book to find out, as Suna’s motivations fascinate me. – Sean Gaffney
Please Tell Me! Galko-chan, Vol. 2 | By Kenya Suzuki| Seven Seas – This is not quite as much fun as the first volume, and when it attempts to add new characters you can sort of hear the gears turning loudly in the author’s head. It’s at its best when it focuses on our core trio and their adorable if somewhat overly awkward interrelations. My favorite part was probably Ojou’s concert recital, where she really shines, and also manages to show off that she actually has friends from school. It’s also adorable when we see her get pissed off for never arguing with Galko or Otako, if only as it means she actually changes expression. And there’s still a bit of sex talk but not nearly as much as the first volume. It’s a fun gag series, and the colors are fantastic. – Sean Gaffney
Re:Monster, Vol. 2 | By Kogitsune Kanekiru and Haruyoshi Kobayakawa| Seven Seas – I’m not entirely sure why I kept reading this after the first volume, and if I want to be honest I’m still not sure after getting through volume two. Its flaws are many and obvious—it is a massive overblown male power fantasy, the narrative is unemotional and stoic (though to be fair this sometimes works, usually when Gob-Rou is required to be clueless about women), and the idea of “it’s not rape if they’re drugged into horniness” is appalling in every way. But I dunno, there’s still a compulsive readability to this, and given the large numbers of what amount to orgies in the series it could have been even less tasteful. If you’re going to read a screwed-up male power fantasy, this isn’t a bad choice. Also, T for Teen, Seven Seas? Really? – Sean Gaffney
A Springtime with Ninjas, Vol. 1 | By Narumi Hasegaki | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Sometimes, a shoujo series asks its readers to swallow a ludicrous premise but rewards them with solid characters and emotional arcs. Not so, here. Benio Kasugami is the sheltered daughter of the richest family in Japan, which has the tradition that she will have to marry the first guy who can get past her ninja bodyguards and steal a kiss from her. She rails against her confinement, but naturally, the moment she steps outside she is insta-kidnapped and nearly kissed before her protector (and childhood first love, naturally), Tamaki Kageshita, swoops in for the rescue. Rinse, repeat. There are quite a few clichés here, but the real issue impacting my enjoyment was Benio herself, who is equal parts clueless and reckless, which gives me no reason to root for her. I’ll be passing on the rest of this series. – Michelle Smith
Ten Count, Vol. 3 | By Rihito Takarai | SuBLime – Volume three was to be the deciding factor in whether I’d continue reading Ten Count. I had hoped that more subtle and insightful characterization would be forthcoming, but alas, it was not to be. In her author’s note, Takarai makes it clear that she sees what Kurose and Shirotani are doing as a “dom” training his “sub,” and the result walks a line between run-of-the-mill smutty BL and an icky erosion of the notion of consent. What does it say when in one panel Shirotani is declaring “no means no” and a few panels later, is shown to be willing after all? Kurose continues to be baffling, too, showing concern for Shirotani and pride in his efforts to conquer his OCD one moment, and telling him that if they were lovers, he’d “do even more things to you that would make you cry” in the next. I’m done. – Michelle Smith