A Certain Scientific Accelerator, Vol. 7 | By Kazuma Kamachi and Arata Yamaji| Seven Seas – Much to my surprise, there was one less death than I predicted in my last brief. Other than that, though, this went sort of how I expected—our heroes fought a long, hard battle and won eventually, though Estelle is warned by Accelerator that she should stay out of “the dark side” of Academy City. From what I recall in the main Index series, that’s easier said than done, though of course Accelerator simply means stay away from HIM. Of course, Accelerator cannot stop being a trouble magnet, just like Touma. And, just like Touma, he now has a beautiful girl fall out of the sky in front of him. Index was hung like a futon, and this new princess seems to have been in a suitcase. What will happen next? Good times in any case. – Sean Gaffney
My Monster Secret, Vol. 9 | By Eiji Masuda | Seven Seas – Akemi and Aizawa are on the cover this time, as if to announce that the harem sweepstakes, which has never exactly been a small part of this series, is now ramping up quite a bit. Of course, this all stems from Youko’s actions at the end of the last volume—something she’s still freaking out over, to an extent. There’s a lot of comedy but very little forward progress here, as you’d expect from this sort of series. Still, the comedy is funny, and there’s even a bit of plot. It’s also amusing to have the characters we aren’t allowed to see play a big role—Akemi from the future and Shiho’s mother. If you get frustrated by lack of forward progress, come back in a volume or two. Otherwise, this continues to be funny. – Sean Gaffney
Spirit Circle, Vol. 2 | By Satoshi Mizukami | Seven Seas – I’m really enjoying this series, but it’s surprisingly grim, even from the creator of Biscuit Hammer, which was also filled with lots of trauma. It’s probably for the best, as the humor here is not the high point. What is the high point is that we get another past life for Fuuta, which takes us back to Ancient Egypt. It shows how his past lives can get screwed over by Kouko’s past lives even if they don’t kill each other. That said, his life was not terrible. Unfortunately, doing all of this reliving of past lives may be unlinking Fuuta to his own identity, which could have ominous consequences. Spirit Circle‘s plot is intriguing and its characters are likeable. I want to see where it’s going. – Sean Gaffney
Waiting for Spring, Vol. 4 | By Anashin | Kodansha Comics – This is a shoujo romance and not a shonen basketball manga, so the result of the game may not go the way everyone wants it to. We do get some nice interaction between Mitsuki and the four guys, though, and also some suggestion that this may be a reverse harem after all, as there’s some brief ship tease with Rui and Kyousuke. This does lead us to a very good point regarding this romance, which is that things can’t progress until Mitsuki admits her own feelings, something she seems to slowly be coming to terms with. I was also amused by a healthy dose of humor AND fanservice, as everyone imagining their hot guy/girl in a swimsuit gave us a lot of amusing reactions. This is a cute, fun romance series. – Sean Gaffney
Waiting for Spring, Vol. 4 | By Anashin | Kodansha Comics – In my long review of the first three volumes, I wished for a little more basketball and this time I got my wish. Anashin-sensei achieves a good blend of tournament action and shoujo romance here, particularly as the guys are worn out from their first game and can’t sustain their lead in the second. Their loss turns into an opportunity to show rather than tell how much they’ve accepted Mitsuki into their inner circle, as she’s permitted to be present when they discuss their feelings, self-recriminations, determination to improve, etc. Ryuji endeared himself to me by crying over the loss, and even playful Rui had some harsh words for himself. I’m starting to feel like this heartwarming series might be just what I need to sustain me when Kimi ni Todoke wraps up its run in another couple of volumes. Definitely recommended. – Michelle Smith
Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, Vol. 2 | By Megumi Morino | Kodansha Comics – It’s rare that we get to see a male lead dealing with his weaknesses as much as Tetsu does here. Still dealing with family issues, his general fear of the supernatural, and the simple nature of what’s going on with Shizu, he’s not making the best choices all the time. But he’s trying, and he’s a good kid. As for Shizu, we do eventually see more of her actual self, though that may be a worrying part of the story—due to her constant possession, she has very little idea of who she is or what she likes. That said, she’s starting to like Tetsu, and I’m wondering what will happen when she decides that she wants to control her own action more. Meanwhile, yay, a clearly villainous dad arrives just in time for the cliffhanger! Intriguing. – Sean Gaffney
Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, Vol. 2 | By Megumi Morino | Kodansha Comics – I really appreciate Tetsu’s sense of ethics here. He’s still afraid of Shizu and her situation, but thinks to himself, “I have to earn what I’m being paid. I have to stop being scared and be a better friend to her.” Soon, he realizes that he’s not actually afraid of Haru and Shinobu, the friendly spirits who regularly inhabit Shizu and look after her, and even infuriating Mirei helps him to loosen up. It’s just Shizu herself who scares him, since she lacks a strong sense of self, but he endeavors to learn her likes and dislikes and soon realizes that she’s actively trying to make him happy. She just has an utterly self-sacrificing way of going about it. What could’ve made her this way? Enter Evil Dad, right on cue. I will definitely be seeing this short series through to its conclusion. – Michelle Smith