Anonymous Noise, Vol. 6 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | Viz Media – Theoretically, a bare minimum of screaming should mean a substandard volume, but I must admit the tortured soap opera plot of Anonymous Noise is growing on me a bit. I mean, there are still a few issues—Momo runs away from his love problems like many other manga love interests (though usually it’s the woman who’s running off), and the attempt to have him get to know his new classmates is awkward and fake—deliberately so, I suspect. And Nino and Yuzu are having a spat, but also have music coursing through them—well, Yuzu does, Nino is trying to learn how to sing in a non-screaming way and not doing well. Meanwhile, the secondary pairings are starting to happen. How much longer does this run if they’re pairing the spares? – Sean Gaffney
Blue Exorcist, Vol. 18 | By Kazue Kato | Viz Media – There is interesting stuff going on here, like the resolution of Shura’s mini-arc (complete with dramatic haircut) and Amaimon coming in as a transfer student and immediately beign a giant jackass. But I’m most impressed with Shiemi’s response to Rin’s confession, which is very honest, has a long look at why this is totally in character for her, and sinks the ship but perhaps not permanently—this isn’t an “I love someone else” rejection so much as a “I have no idea how to love” rejection. Rin also takes it in a very mature way, insisting that they’re still friends and he will help her achieve her goals of becoming an exorcist. As love confessions that don’t work out go, this is absolutely top tier. – Sean Gaffney
Haikyu!!, Vol. 19 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – Back and forth we go, and for a lot of this volume it’s part two of what we had the previous volume, showing that Tsukishima is growing and learning a whole lot, and what’s more, may actually be (hold on to your hats) ENJOYING volleyball. Now it’s Hinata’s turn, as being short means he has to work even harder and use even more energy, and “try to block properly” is mean, but also accurate. And so our heroes are up against a wall again, but I’m sure someone will have a revelation or use a cool move or… I’m so sorry, I enjoy Haikyu!! a lot, but there’s a limit to what I can talk about in a review. SPORTSBALL! Also, that extra comedy manga at the end reeks of “getting around untranslatable Japanese wordplay.” – Sean Gaffney
Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 28 | By Karuho Shiina | VIZ Media – I have recently learned that this series is complete in 30 volumes and I am not ready for it to be over yet! That said, it definitely feels like things are moving in that direction. This volume covers Christmas and New Year’s (and Sawako’s blizzard-induced sleepover at Kazehaya’s house during which nothing more serious than kissing ensues), after which everyone will have a couple of weeks to study at home before their college admission tests. Sawako and Kazehaya seem poised to weather their upcoming separation just fine, Chizu tells Toru that she’s dating his brother, and Ayane… repeatedly gets flustered in Pin’s presence. Am I assigning too deep a meaning to the panel where he promises quite seriously to “think about it” regarding giving her a gift if she passes her exams? I can’t believe I’m rooting for a student-teacher romance! – Michelle Smith
Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 21 | By Yuki Midorikawa | Viz Media – As the author herself notes in her copious afterword notes, we’ve rarely seen Natsume and Nyanko-sensei at odds, and I’m not sure that the author really pulls it off in this battle to see who earns the sleeping god’s favor and gets sake as a reward. (To be fair, the author admits this as well.) My favorite story in this volume involved Natsume’s friend Kitamoto, one of “those two guys” in his class, and a bookshop with a cute yokai acting as the clerk. Mostly as I like old bookshops. That said, I suspect most fans of this series will be most interested in the final chapter, which flashes back again to the wacky teenage misadventures of Natori, Matoba, and their amazing powers of bishonen. A good solid volume. – Sean Gaffney
The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window, Vol. 4 | By Tomoko Yamashita | SuBLime – We begin with Mikado taking a case to Mukae instead of Hiyakawa because he’s thrown by the latter’s suggestion that they could make money cursing people. Even after Mukae tells him that Hiyakawa has placed a “leash” on him binding them together, he’s still unable to forget how much Hiyakawa has helped him and can’t simply abandon him. In the end, and without Yamashita-sensei actually spelling it out, it seems that Mikado’s plan is to take a more active role in helping people, using the bond between them to pull Hiyakawa along onto a more righteous path. I do dearly love how Yamashita trusts her readers to understand things. This particularly comes into play in the chapter about Mikado’s parents and the poignant nonverbal panel in which Mikado’s father realizes that his son has inherited his abilities. All of this plus some ongoing plot threads make for a standout volume. – Michelle Smith
Species Domain, Vol. 4 | By Shunsuke Noro | Seven Seas – Again, I am impressed by how well the author is sticking to Dowa being a dwarf, which means not only does she have her big bushy beard, but when we get the obligatory beach arc, we see her swimsuit body and she is absolutely ripped, as you would expect from a dwarf. The beach arc itself is mostly a bunch of shenanigans, as the two rival clubs face off against each other in a series of amusing contests. More interesting is the ship tease between Ohki and Kazaori, both at the start (a forced date) and at the end, where Ohki’s “future vision” invention works a bit too well, and gives us a Kazamori who has literally lived the next ten years. And yes, she spoils everyone. A fantastic non-perverse monster series. – Sean Gaffney
The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 4 | By Rei Toma | VIZ Media – In order to interact with and understand Asahi more, the Water Dragon God has taken on the guise of a human. When Asahi requests that he take her and Subaru somewhere fun, they end up attracting notice and, ultimately, Asahi is summoned by the child emperor, who refuses to believe she doesn’t have some kind of special powers, since she’s hanging out with a god. There’s an interesting balance here between slow-burn relationship stuff—Asahi attempts to shield her steadfast protector Subaru from the knowledge that she desperately wants to go home (though he knows already) and the Water Dragon God makes strides toward caring about Asahi’s feelings—and worldbuilding, what with the introduction of the emperor and some rumination on the possible loneliness of gods. I definitely plan to keep reading! – Michelle Smith