Ace of the Diamond, Vol. 12 | By Yuji Terajima | Kodansha Comics (digital only) –Seido had been sure their opponent for the quarter-finals of the East Tokyo qualifying tournament would be Ichidai, but when that team is taken out by Yakushi in a surprise upset, Seido is suddenly facing a team full of fearless batters. In this tense volume, Yakushi fields their fiercest batter first, and I was bracing for Furuya to crumble under the pressure, but instead he has a lot of fun, having faith in his reliable upperclassmen and demonstrating some growth in his fielding capabilities. In an effort to keep Yakushi from becoming accustomed to one pitcher’s style, Sawamura is switched in but before he can do too much, the volume’s over. This is really a series that benefits from being marathoned, for though it’s great fun the way that it is, it’s probably going to be immensely satisfying to binge 40+ volumes back-to-back. – Michelle Smith
After Hours, Vol. 2 | By Yuhta Nishio | Viz Media – This second volume does a nice job alternating between Emi and Kei trying to put on a live event and Emi trying to decide what to do about her relationship, if that’s what it is, with Kei. I was pleased that the manga chose to negotiate a fairly melodramatic path without going overboard—the emotions feel fairly realistic given what Emi is going through, and Kei is not ignored either. There’s also some great scenes of Emi meeting more members of the dance club crew, and making friends and bonding with them. Usually with yuri manga you’re following it for the romance and that’s about it. But this is a more mature yuri title, and that doesn’t just mean sex, it means career motivations and such. A keeper. – Sean Gaffney
Anonymous Noise, Vol. 9 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | VIZ Media –Anonymous Noise, Vol. 9 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | VIZ Media – It took me a long time to get to this point, but I think I’m finally ready to declare Anonymous Noise a keeper. In No Hurry has embarked on their first national tour, which is interesting in and of itself, but it also feels like Fukuyama has achieved a good balance between her characters’ professional growth—Nino’s gotten more experience, Momo has decided that he wants to release music that’s true to who he is—and their personal angst. Yes, the main love triangle is still going, and though Yuzu attempts a few times and Momo declares his intentions, neither boy has made clear their feelings to Nino. But now I at least care a little more about that, while predominantly being excited for what might happen for them career-wise. I’m glad I grew to truly enjoy this series. – Michelle Smith
As Miss Beelzebub Likes, Vol. 2 | By Matoba | Yen Press – It can be difficult when you’re rooting for a cute couple to get together in a series and that series is, at heart, a goofy comedy. It’s a shame, because when the series is focusing on the cute Beelzebub and her secretary Mullin, it’s pretty adorable. But that’s not what the author is here for, really. As such, we get some new characters in this volume, including a shotacon (bleah) and a shota for the shotacon to obsess over (meh). Belphegor’s crush on Azazel is more promising, mostly as there’s a bit less about how nervousness makes her want to pee and more actual affection. This is a cute series, but at heart it’s a comedy, and the comedy is hit-or-miss. It should try to be more of a romance. – Sean Gaffney
Claudine | By Riyoko Ikeda | Seven Seas – For a variety of reasons, one of my most anticipated manga releases of 2018 was Claudine. First of all, it’s by Riyoko Ikeda, one of the Magnificent Forty-Niners, a group of women who were extraordinarily influential to the development of shoujo manga in the 1970s and many of whom continue to create exceptional work. I was also particularly interested in Claudine due to its sympathetic, albeit tragic, portrayal of a transgender man, a rarity in comics of any country or era. First published in 1978, the manga follows the titular Claudine, a young man growing up in France who struggles with the perceptions others hold of him in regards to his gender and sexuality. Claudine repeatedly finds and loses love over the course of the short manga, acceptance and betrayal often following one after the other. Claudine is gorgeously illustrated and heartwrenchingly melodramatic, a beautiful and at times troubling work. – Ash Brown
The Elder Sister-Like One, Vol. 2 | By Iida Pochi | Yen Press – Strangely, given this is still based on a porn doujinshi, the author and editors have done a very good job at making it mainstream while keeping a goodly amount of fanservice. The core relationship between Yuu and his demon sister is familial here, despite the occasional suggestiveness, and the best scenes in the book show off the family connection that he desperately needs. There’s also hints of something darker, and the clever reader will realize this is not a lifestyle that is going to be sustainable for much longer. Something is bound to go wrong. Till then, I’m happy with Yuu’s heart slowly being healed, as long as the creators remember to avoid getting too salacious. – Sean Gaffney
Giant Spider & Me: A Post-Apocalyptic Tale, Vol. 2 | By Kikori Morino | Seven Seas – Despite the attempt of various dramatic events to make us think otherwise, at heart this is a cooking manga, and the core of each chapter shows off the various recipes. We get an addition to the cast of Belle, who is the grumpy snarker that sets off Nagi’s perky optimist nicely, and the two become fast friends. There’s also a stroll into town, which surprised me, and the town reacts to a giant mutant spider about the way you’d expect it to. Fortunately, the giant spider is a sweetie pie, and indeed might be a baby giant spider, which helps to explain why Nagi’s TLC is helping. Of course, there’s another cliffhanger with Nagi being kidnapped, but given how the last cliffhanger resolved, I’m not TOO worried. – Sean Gaffney
Monster Tamer Girls, Vol. 2 | By Mujirushi Shimazaki | Yen Press – As with a lot of series that end after only two or three volumes, there’s a sense of “please wrap this up as quickly as possible” to the ending of the book, but it’s still rather cute and romantic, with Koto and Tsukiko’s relationship getting as close to canonical as a series like this is going to get. I also liked the backstory for Sora, as we see that she was rescued by a monster as a child, and then we see that same monster needing to be “rescued” in a different sense. At heart a series more about building and continuing relationships than about monsters, two volumes was probably about the right length for it. Still a good read if you like cute girls and monsters. – Sean Gaffney
My Monster Secret, Vol. 11 | By Eiji Masuda | Seven Seas – Yes, Asahi and Youko are together, but this series isn’t even half over yet, so don’t expect a lot of dating and holding hands here. Instead it’s more comedy, which is good as My Monster Secret does comedy very well. Even the melodramatic drama is comedy, as Nagisa’s tearful return to her home planet is undercut by a) a running gag of her worried about public spankings, and b) the punchline. There’s also a return of Youko’s hyperprotective father, which leads to an endless string of amusing gags. About the only time that My Monster Secret misses is when the gags it relies on are too tired, such as Akari’s age. This still has the capacity to make me laugh a good deal. – Sean Gaffney
The Troublemakers | By Baron Yoshimoto | Retrofit Comics – Only a few manga have been released by Retrofit Comics, the most recent of which is The Troublemakers, a collection of Baron Yoshimoto’s short manga curated and translated by comics historian Ryan Holmberg. Along with an accompanying essay by Holmberg placing Yoshimoto and his work into historical context, The Troublemakers collects six stories originally published between 1966 and 1974. The volume isn’t necessarily intended to be a “best of” collection. Instead, the manga included are meant to be a representative sample of not only Yoshimoto’s creative output but also of the types of gekiga and seinen manga being published for men in Japan around the 1970s. The stories are engaging and provocative, sex and violence featuring prominently as part of intense and dramatic narratives with protagonists who are frequently society’s outsiders. Based on the manga collected in The Troublemakers, I’m intrigued and certainly interested in reading more work by Yoshimoto. – Ash Brown