Behind the Scenes!!, Vol. 4 | By Bisco Hatori | Viz Media – I’m still vaguely enjoying this series, but I must admit I’m far more into it for the special effects department and studies about film-making and acting than I am regarding the main characters. Izumi’s amnesia really doesn’t seem like anything other than a necessary plot twist to drag things out a bit… and even then, he still gets the cookies in the end. More amusing is the brief cameo by Ranmaru’s parents, who are the opposite of what everyone was expecting, including the reader. But perhaps most importantly for the female readers of this manga, Goda cuts his hair! I enjoy this while reading it, but it feels like a “victory lap” series, the sort of thing an author writes after finishing a big hit. – Sean Gaffney
Descending Stories, Vol. 2 | By Haruko Kumota | Kodansha Comics – I knew that somewhere along the way we were going to get an extended flashback showing us the youth of Yakumo, but I wasn’t expecting to see it so soon, or for it to take up the majority of this volume. It’s told very well, making both Bon and Shin very sympathetic and likeable, and also introducing another woman who will no doubt become even more important in the third volume. More to the point, though, the series still at its heart continues to be about rakugo, and we see several examples of the art throughout the book, showing what’s good about it and what its flaws are—and also showing us how far Yotaro has to go to remotely get near competent. Not falling asleep would be a good start. – Sean Gaffney
Haikyu!!, Vol. 14 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – Answering my question from last time, Daichi is not THAT injured, but injured enough so that he has to sit out the rest of the match—he’s lost a tooth. And so we get to see Ennoshita come in to take his place, which means that most of this book is about Karasuno struggling to regain its rhythm with a new person where their captain should be, and said new person trying to find a way to help them and not completely panic. (We also see the complete panic—Yamaguchi gets a point, but chickens out rather than do the serve he’s been training on. I expect more of this later.) And of course we get to see Karasuno move on to the next game, and I expect the next book will start by showing us who their opponent will be. – Sean Gaffney
Maid-sama!, Vols. 17-18 | By Hiro Fujiwara | VIZ Media – Maid-sama! ends at last. Much of what happens here is fairly predictable. Misaki rescues Takumi from England, but not before he realizes that his Walker relations aren’t actually that bad. There’s a proposal, and intense studying for exams, and Misaki realizing that she no longer needs to hide the fact that she works in a maid café. The bits that aren’t predictable are sometimes ridiculous, like the fact that Takumi supposedly befriended some pigeons who helpfully obstruct the paparazzi, but also sometimes nice, like a small moment (a single panel, really) in which a study-fatigued Misaki lets herself lean on Usui and tells him a few of the things that’re distracting her, trusting him to get them done. Also, Suzuna and Hinata make progress! This definitely wasn’t my favorite series, but it had its moments. – Michelle Smith
Nirvana, Vol. 1 | By Jin & Sayuki (Zowls) | Seven Seas – This new series feels like a cross between a standard reincarnation manga—a girl dies in a plane crash and is resurrected as the reincarnation of a goddess—and Magi, featuring a lot of the same Middle Eastern feel of that series. As you can tell by its presence in a Bookshelf Brief, I don’t have as much to say about it as I normally would, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad—it’s a decent series, with some nice fights and interesting backstory. The plot is clearly going to be “let’s gather together all the scattered heroes,” the sort of thing that could run for three volumes or twelve depending on how well it sells. And Yachiyo is likeable enough, though I suspect her “must help others at all costs” will get into major trouble down the road. – Sean Gaffney
Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 7 | By Mizuho Kusanagi | VIZ Media – With the expanding cast, working together with pirates, and Yona genuinely being badass and intimidating, Yona of the Dawn continues to evoke the Basara feels, and that is very much a compliment. As the volume opens, she and Yun have infiltrated a human trafficking operation by posing as merchandise, and though her dragons are on hand to rescue her, it’s Yona who terrifies and then neatly kills the head bad guy. It’s super satisfying! I also loved that when she later has a surprise run-in with Su-won, she’s terrified, yes, but also thinking of seizing the moment to get revenge for her father. She’s come such a long way, and now I’m even more excited to see where the story goes from here! – Michelle Smith